A World Unseen
by RoseDragonWitch
Summary: After her family decides to move, Kagome is forced to leave her hometown. The last thing she wanted was her parents to take a wrong turn… into the Spirit World. Where are all these demons and spirits coming from? And whose the guy with the dog ears?
1. Nighttime Visitor

**A World yet Unseen****  
****After her family decides to move, Kagome is forced to leave her hometown. The last thing she wanted was her parents to take a wrong turn… straight into the Spirit World. Where are all these demons and spirits coming from? And who's this strange, long-haired boy with dog ears? And most importantly, why does Kagome seem to know him? He sure seems to know her.**

I decided to do a Inuyasha/Spirited Away story! I combined two of my favorite anime's...

**_Chapter 1-Nighttime Visitor_**

"But mamma," whined a little girl no older than 5 or 6 years old. "Please let me stay up a little longer for once."

"Kagome," her mother said gently but sternly, "You know that you aren't well enough to stay up too late."

"But when will I get better?" the little girl asked.

"We don't know munchkin," suddenly said a new voice. Both mother and child looked to see a man standing in the doorway with a slight smile.

"Daddy," Kagome began.

"Not tonight kid," he said tiredly. "Time for you to go to sleep Kagome. The more sleep you get, then the better the chance that you can get well."

Here's how it is. When Kagome was born, she was very sick and very weak. In fact, most of the doctors thought that she wasn't going to make it through the night. But by some miracle, Kagome was able to make it through all the way to her 6 birthday. Even though she was allowed to be home, she still had to make regular trips to the hospital at least once a week. Her parents were constantly worrying over her while Kagome was still struggling to understand why she was so sick.

"Awww," Kagome whined. "But there's a full moon out tonight! I want to go and see…"

"No Kagome," her mother said sadly. "Maybe someday. But for now, it's time for bed."

Her father then picked her up and carried her up the stairs. When they got to Kagome's room, they pulled back the covers and both placed the small child in the bed before covering her with a thick quilt.

"Sweet dreams Kagome," her dad said as her mother then handed her favorite teddy bear. Kagome said goodnight and they headed towards the door.

"Mom? Dad?" Kagome asked as they turned off the light. They both looked back at her, "What is it?" her dad asked.

"When will I get to go outside?" was Kagome simple question. "I don't go outside unless its to go to the hospital. When will I get to explore the world?"

Her parent's exchanged sad and tortured expressions. They knew how hard it was for their only child to be locked inside all the time as if she was in a nuthouse. But they knew that she couldn't go out in her state until she got stronger.

"We don't know munchkin," her father said. "But someday…"

"Someday soon?" Kagome asked hopefully. They could only smile at her.

"Maybe…" her mom said, "Now goodnight."

"Night mom, dad," Kagome said gloomily as she turned over to lie on her side and went still as her door shut quietly and the sounds of footsteps faded away to nothing.

Kagome buried her face into her pillow unhappily. It's nothing new… this happens every night. Her parents would put her to bed without being able to give her a straight answer, leaving Kagome wondering what was wrong with her.

She just didn't understand… why did she have to be so sick? Why couldn't she just be healthy like other kids? When was she going to get better? And most importantly, when was she going to be allowed to see the world outside this house?

She went to sleep without any of her questions, and a single tear falling onto her pillow as she fell into a her dreamworld.

**_*Later*_**

Kagome woke up some few hours later. It was still dark, she looked up at the clock on her bedside table, it ticked away getting slower and slower until it finally stopped. On its own accord.

Wondering why she was suddenly wide awake, and why her clock just stopped, Kagome sat up and pulled her blanket around her as she suddenly felt cold and scared. Kagome looked around her room and her eyes widened when she saw the reason for the cold…

Her window was open…

… and there was a person standing there in the moonlight right in front of her open window.

A boy that looked like he was about 12 or 13… at least judging by his height, for Kagome couldn't see his face. The way the light shining behind him cloaked his face in darkness and there seemed to be a scarf that was tied at the top of his head. But as she looked at him more closely, she saw the boy seemed to resemble something like a wild animal. It was like he wasn't even human or something…

The boy cocked his head and just stood there staring back at the little Kagome, while Kagome wondered how he ended up in her bedroom.

Kagome blinked several times before she rubbed her eyes, thinking that she was just seeing things. But when she opened them again, he was still there.

Normally, you think that she would've started screaming her head off to her parents that there was a stranger in her room… but no… she didn't feel scared… she felt…

Safe?

She couldn't explain why… but she never felt as safe as she did with this person. Not even when her parents were around. When she was with them, they were always making sure that she was constantly in their sights and that she wasn't doing anything that would tire her out. She found it to be very annoying.

But with this person… she felt a different kind of security.

Like he was her guardian angel or something? As if he was making sure that she was safe without going overboard at the same time… like he was giving her something that was not sick… like she was well and could be treated like a normal person and not a porcelain doll that could break at any second.

He looked at her for a few more seconds before he turned and walked over to the open window as if he was about to leave. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, Kagome slipped out of her bed and walked over to him.

"W-Who are you?" Kagome asked.

The boy stopped walking and turned to Kagome as held out his hand to her. Kagome looked his hand then back to the boy.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked.

He remained silent but Kagome understood. Even thought she had been told many times to not go with any strangers, but how many strangers come into your bedroom in the middle of the night?

The boy suddenly climbed out of the window and disappeared, Kagome gasped as she ran over to look out, expecting to see him lying on the ground below her two-story window. But as she reached the sill, she ended up jumping back when the boy, hanging upside down from the roof, with his arms holding out to Kagome.

"We going for a-a ride?" she asked timidly.

The boy could only nod.

Happiness seemed to spread throughout Kagome's body. Finally, she could see the world from outside these four walls… finally she could have something that wasn't sick.

"Okay," Kagome said happily. "Oh, wait!" she turned to her bed and grabbed her teddy bear before she ran back to the window. She reached out and allowed the boy to take her up and into his arms; she managed to hang on to the boy as he pulled them up so they both were on the roof.

"Where are we going?" she then asked.

Instead of an answer, the boy bent down and Kagome instantly climbed up and onto his back.

"Piggyback!" Kagome cheered as they walked along the roof. Then without warning the boy jumped to another roof, as easily as if he was jumping off the bed; making Kagome cling to him tightly in case she fell. She shut her eyes in fear but when the boy landed gently on the other side and began running, as if he was weightless, she reopened them.

And she gasped in wonder.

The evening sky was clear and full of stars with a large full moon shining, bathing everything in a low light. Kagome held to the boy tightly and so they carried on, jumping from one roof to another. Over the buildings and the few streetlamps, the wind blowing so hard that it was whistling in Kagome's ears, but soft enough that it was like it was singing her a lullaby.

As they jumped, it could almost be called flying, everything swirled around them in a colorful… well… blob at the edge of her vision. She held onto the long hair on her nighttime visitor, feeling safer than she ever had in her life and allowed him take her as far away as possible from her room.

At first, everything seemed to be so fuzzy and pixelly, like a computer screen when you look too close. Still, no point in denying it, it was gorgeous. The many colors zoomed and whirled in shapes that range from spirals to jelly beans, circles to arcs. The glimmering shapes looked like little presents, covered with that shiny paper.

It was almost like a dream…

Kagome wrapped her arms around the boy's neck, pleading him to go higher and faster, letting out a cry of laughter of pure happiness.

**_*Later*_**

Eventfully, they stopped at one roof, and Kagome slid down so that she sat on the edge with the boy standing next to her.

"WOW! It's so pretty!" Kagome said as she looked across at the city lights sparkling like a Christmas tree. She looked at the boy next to her but he remained silent, "Why won't you talk to me? Can't you talk?"

He looked down at Kagome but he just smiled. At least Kagome thought he did, she still couldn't see his face too well. But she had a feeling that he was smiling at her.

Kagome smiled back at him and took his hand, but the boy looked startled when he felt her tiny fingers wrap around his own.

"You're hand is cold," Kagome said as she looked from his hand to his face. "Are you cold?" she asked.

He shook his head as he took back his hand and they both looked over towards the city.

Kagome yawned and looked back up at the boy.

"I'm getting tired," Kagome said as she rubbed her eyes "Thank you for bringing me here. But I'm sure mom and dad are really worried about me. And if I'm not back soon then they'll going to have a panic attack. Like this one time, I hid in the closet and mommy ended up calling the police 'cause she couldn't find me and I promised I wouldn't do it again."

She then stood up and hugged the boy around the middle. He took half a step backwards, shocked at her sudden gesture. "Thank you…" Kagome whispered. "I can't tell you how many times I dreamt of leaving my room at night and see the world just for a little while. This was the best night I ever had!"

The boy seemed frozen as she then stood back. But he seemed to get over it as he nodded and bent down so Kagome could crawl onto his back and began their flight back towards Kagome's house.

**_*Near Home*_**

Just as Kagome was near enough asleep when they got near her room and she was just thinking about how upset that she was about having to go back to staying inside all day, when the boy stopped. Kagome lifted her head up.

"What's wrong?" she asked sleepily.

Kagome looked to where her house should've been and saw that it was engulf in flames.

Her jaw dropped in horror as she saw the flames coming out of her bedroom window…

Tears started to roll down her face as she watched the firefighters try and put out the flames that consumed her home. Her parents were standing next to them and seemed to be fighting tooth and nail to get back inside the burning buliding; they seemed to be crying and yelling at the firefighters.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Kagome called out as she struggled to get down.

The boy jumped down from the roof and left Kagome by the road as he disappeared. But Kagome didn't notice and ran to her house and her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Kagome screamed as she ran towards them with her teddy bear in her arms. They both turned towards the screams to see Kagome running from across the street with her bear and tears falling from her eyes.

A look of relief came over their faces as they ran towards their daughter.

And the boy, just disappeared. Right into the darkness.

**(Please let me know what you think so far!)**


	2. Wrong Way

**_Chapter 2- Wrong Way_**

_*Kagome POV*_

The dark-haired girl started to doze off slowly, dimly aware of the scent of fresh air in her nostrils and the cold feeling of the wind on her body. She lay, motionless, as her mind cleared at an agonizingly slow pace. No matter how dazed she was…there was something strange happening to her.

Where was she?

Slowly she opened her eyes, wincing in pain as the wind made her eyes water. She was flying through the sky… lights twinkling below her like a sea of stars, and the inky black sky above her covered her in darkness like a blanket with the moon shining as bright as a spotlight. The wind was singing her in a way that seemed to put her into her doze… she couldn't remember the last time she felt so happy. What had happened to her?

She couldn't remember a single thing.

That was when she realized something… she wasn't alone…

For the first time since regaining consciousness, she realized that she was riding piggyback on a person wearing a scarf and a long black cloak who was jumping across the rooftops. Other than the occasional sound of his light footfalls as he landed from one roof to the other and her own breathing, there wasn't a single sound to be heard apart from the night wind.

This person…

This person meant everything…though why it he was important, she could not recall. Was there some reason that this feeling of safety was emblazoned so strongly in her heart?

It didn't matter she supposed. She merely closed her eyes and let the person continue to carry her through the night, feeling safe and secure with him. She was happy for some reason, she couldn't remember why, but she knew that she wanted to remain like this forever. The feeling that she could be feel and happy forever…

But most of all, someone else was here with her.

She wouldn't be alone anymore.

_"Kagome?"_

Someone was calling for her?

_"Kagome? Are you there?"_

Who is that?

_"Kagome, wake up…"_

Wake up? What did that mean? That wasn't the boy who was talking. She looked in front of her, desperately trying to see his face… he turned his head and Kagome could see his mouth in the low light. She saw him whisper something to her that she couldn't make out.

"What?" she whispered to him. "What did you say?"

But then the second voice spoke up again and the voice of the boy had been drowned out.

_"It's time to wake up now."_

But why? She didn't want to leave the safety of this boy, even if it was a dream. And what was he trying to say to her?

She felt someone shaking her and all of a sudden, her eyes snapped open.

_*Normal POV*_

"You finally awake? About time sis," said a little boy that looked no older than 10 sitting next to her.

"You sure slept for a long time," her mother said as she smiled from the front seat.

Kagome Higurashi was a normal 15 year old girl who was just moving to a new town with her parents and her little brother. Kagome blinked several times before she realized where she was; she was in the back of her parent's car, she must've dozed off.

She rubbed her eyes and asked, "Did I fall asleep?"

"You kidding? You slept for practically the whole trip!" Sota said smugly as he held a large white cat with black and orange patches. Kagome punched him in the shoulder before yawning widely. Her father looked back at her through the mirror.

"Did you have that dream again sweetheart?" he asked.

Kagome merely nodded. It wasn't anything new to her family. For as long as she could remember, she had a bizarre dream of a person in a dark robe carrying her through the night… it was so extraordinary but was never scary… in fact she loved that dream.

But she didn't understand why she kept having the same dream over and over again for 10 years. It all happened after the fire that burned down her house when she was 6…

And for some reason… Kagome couldn't remember what had happened that night. Her parents had told her that she had come running towards them from across the street, but she had no idea how she got there. Everything that night seemed to be like a big blur.

After that, almost every night, she would have that same dream. The boy would take her flying through the night sky and would whisper something to her… but she could never hear what it was. All she knew for sure was that every time that she awoken from it was that she felt like she ended up losing something important.

But that wasn't all of it.

Just a few days after the fire, when her parents took her to the hospital for her checkup…

The doctors all said it was some kind of miracle …

Her disease had been completely cured.

But no one could figure out why.

After that, everything changed. She was allowed to go out and play with other children, she could go to school, her visits to the doctor became less and less, her parents had finally started treating her like a normal person and not some fragile glass doll, and she had a little brother just a year later.

Her life was going good until her dad accepted a new job and they all had to move.

Of course Kagome wasn't one bit happy about this because she was leaving behind all of her friends and everything else she ever knew. The only thing she could think of that this was just going to be some boring town where she'd never get to have new friends.

Her father was driving and her mother was reading a small book in her lap, Sota was playing with their cat Buyo and Kagome just held onto the only thing she had to remind her of her old life. It was a bouquet of flowers that she got as a going away present from her best friends Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi.

Kagome read the card that came with it:

_"Dear Kagome, _

_We all hope that you do your best to stay in touch. No matter where you are we'll always be best friends forever! We'll miss you! _

_From, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi."_

She was brought out of her thoughts when her mom said, "Kagome, do you really have this dream every night?"

Kagome nodded her head. "It's always the same dream, mom. I told you a thousand times that I don't know why."

Her parents looked at each other before shrugging it off and went back to talking about their new home. Kagome realized that they were finally in the new town that she would be stuck in… it didn't look so bad… so far anyway.

The vehicle bumped and jumped over the narrow speed lumps as Kagome's body rocked to and fro with its jagged rhythm.

"Dad, are you sure this is the right place? It looks like one of those small towns with ten people living in it," Sota, nagged whilst tugging on his obese cat's paws.

"Meow-ow?" Buyo the calico mewed.

Dad tried to mend their complaints with his thread of words, "We'll just have to learn to like it, that's all."

Kagome angled her head at her parents in the slightest lazy effort to stare into the backs of their heads.

Dad suddenly examined, "Oh look Kagome! There's your high school! Looks great doesn't it?" Kagome looked out the car window and saw a large, yet plain white building that looked like it could only hold a couple hundred students. "Looks great, doesn't it?"

She rolled her eyes at her little brother, who had stuck his tongue out at it. Neither didn't want to go to a new school; they both would've been happier if they could stay at her old one where her friends were. But noooooooooo. They had to move to a new place just because dad got a new job. This only proves that life just isn't fair.

I mean, doesn't anyone ask their kids what they want anymore?

Kagome slothfully shifted her dead eyes to the window as she heard her mother admit, "It doesn't look so bad."

"It looks like a rundown factory…" Sota drawled dryly under his breath. "I wonder what my school's gonna look like. Hopefully not like Kagome's." Sota brooded over out loud.

At least someone here was honest.

Dad calmly said, "Can't believe it, new house, a new life for all of us! Isn't it just exciting?"

Kagome rolled her eyes again as she said in a sarcastic tone "Oh yeah, real exciting dad. All we need is to be attacked by a giant monster to make the day even better." Sota laughed and her mom sighed.

"Kids, I know that you two aren't happy about this move-" she began.

"You got that right," both kids said at the same time.

"But can you please give it a chance before you make up your minds that you hate this place?" she finished.

As Sota folded his arms and began to look sulky, Kagome rolled her eyes and filched a glare at her blossoms.

Wait...

Were they...?

"NO!" she shrieked, jostling up as the petals fell from their shriveling buds. Urgently, she shoved the bouquet between her parents in a single panicky thrust. "Mom! Dad! My flowers are dying!" she said quickly.

The flowers were already crushed and dying, and Kagome bit her bottom lip. Her last present from her best friends and she was destroying it.

"Aw come on, Sis. They're just stupid flowers. You can buy some more!" Sota nicked at Buyo's right ear.

"What would YOU know about it?" Kagome practically bit his head off. "They're a going-away present from friends I'm never gonna see again! Your friends didn't even bother giving you anything. That is, if you ever HAD any friends to begin with."

"Mooom!" her kid-brother whined. "Kagome's being mean again!"

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

Mom didn't even so much peek back at the wrangling siblings, "Well, no wonder they're dying, the way you've been clinging to them."

Kagome face-faulted...

Her mother looked outside the window to survey the houses, "As soon as we get to the house we'll put them in some water and they'll perk right up."

Fed up, Kagome slinked back, "Great. I get a going away gift that's my first bouquet and it doesn't even last that long!"

Her dad looked at his daughter from the mirror, "What about for your birthday last year? Doesn't that count?"

"No dad. That was a single carnation. One flower doesn't count as a bouquet. And besides, I told you before that my favorite flowers are cherry blossoms and purple irises," said a grumpy Kagome.

Dad could only sigh.

"Hold onto your card, I'm opening the window," mom said as she handed her the goodbye card that fell from the bouquet. "And quit whining. It's fun to move to a new place. It's an adventure."

Kagome gazed out of the dropping window, squinting against the lukewarm breeze of afternoon climate. The metallic exterior of a gas truck passed by, briefly blocking her view of the streetlamps.

They were all quiet for a moment before they made a turn and hit an old road that looked like it was made of cobble stones that looked like an ancient walkway. The car stopped beside a gargantuan tree that stood about as tall as a 5 story building. It looked as if it stood there for a thousand years and the giant scar on its trunk seemed to confirm it.

"Wait," dad said looked around. "This can't be right can it?"

"Whoa, look at that tree…" Sota awed.

"It's huge!" Kagome agreed, finally interested in something that crossed her boring path today. "But what's with the giant scar?"

Mr. Higurashi poked his head out from his window, face winded up in a parcel of confusion and disagreement. "Wait, did I take the wrong turn?"

Up ahead was only crowded trees that would lead them into a tunneling forest.

"This can't be it!" dad said again as he fine-tuned his glasses a little more.

Her mom also looked around, "I told you that we should've stopped to ask for directions. What is the deal with men never asking which way to go?"

"Oh don't you start on me," he whispered, embarrassed. "I'm sure that it's this way."

"Honey, no," mom begged. "I'm sorry, let's just turn around and…"

"No, I'm sure that this is the right way," he insisted.

"Dad," Kagome said as she jumped into their conversation, "You always get us lost. Remember what happened when we went camping last year?"

"AH! Don't remind me!" Sota called. "I'm scared for life."

"Dad, just turn back and take the turn," Kagome went on. "Actually, just turn back and go all the way home again for that matter."

Dad just laughed at her desperate attempt to get them back to their old town as he turned into the forest road. "We have a new home now, Kagome. And I'm sure this will be fine. Just sit back and enjoy the view."

Kagome once again mentally snorted at that idea. The view had been the same the entire trip and she was sick and tired of it. Nonetheless, she sat back down; taking the flowers she'd gotten into her lap, and nervously toyed with the card in her fingers.

"Trust me! I know what I'm doing!" dad almost yelled. And before anyone else could say anything, he hit the gas and they were dashing down the road. The shades of the arched trees darkened the atmosphere in the car, little splinters and shards of sunlight racing along the hood that peeked through the shadows of tree leaves.

For a moment everything seemed to be going fine until the car started to speed up. Kagome glanced at her dad nervously, knowing the man didn't like going too fast like this. The man in the driver's seat seemed to concentrating on his road a lot, silent curses coming out of his mouth from time to time as the car simply kept going faster. Kagome looked outside to see the trees passing by in nothing but blurs and she started to panic slightly.

"Dad! We're going too fast!" although she knew she was stating the obvious, she just had to say it. Dad didn't look at her, staying focused on the road instead.

"It's quite steep here, just hold on," he said. Kagome really wanted to do that, but she didn't have much to hold onto. She grabbed the side of the door as wide brown eyes looked through the front window to see what was coming.

"Dad, I think we're lost," Sota announced what they were all thinking.

"We're fine," her father thumbed his nose. "I've got GPS."

The car wheeled over a rattling stump.

"Ah!" Sota's body jerked with his cat, but he managed to hold onto the side of his mother's passenger seat from his standing position.

"Sit down please, Sweetie," Mrs. Higurashi smiled blankly at him before she turned to her husband and said, "Just admit it! Something's wrong with the GPS!"

The car was suddenly journeying over a chain of toothed rocks and pebbles, but Mr. Higurashi seemed to be gaining speed anyway. All the items, even the cat, were shaking out of control like they were in the middle of an earthquake.

Kagome gripped her flowers, eyes wide. Kagome looked out the window at all the passing trees and branches to notice the strangest little things that she ever saw in her life.

There were dozens of little spotted mushrooms… normally these wouldn't be so strange… except for the fact that they were all moving and had big eyeballs staring back at her.

"M-Mom?" Kagome said in a strangled tone as the car suddenly began to go faster. But no one could hear her over the roar the engine suddenly made and they were then practically flying down the road. They went whizzing pass the mushrooms and Kagome had to twist around in her seat to stare out of the back window to try to get see if she could get a better look to make sure that she wasn't just seeing things.

Her eyes followed the mushrooms even as the car passed them.

"What are you looking at?" Sota yelled at her as he was holding onto his seat with a death grip. Before Kagome could answer the car was suddenly traveling over large bumps and pot holes that shook the car. But they still kept going faster.

"Honey?" Mom yelled at dad who was so focused on the road that Kagome was sure if he could hear anyone. "Please slow down before you kill us! I don't want to spend my first day in this town dead!"

They went crashing over an old vine in the middle of the road before they all saw something in the distance.

"What's that?" Mr. Higurashi suddenly blurted, shoveling his foot down into the gas pedal and steering the car to a complete halt in front of a hindering sculpture and hollow tunnel. Mom, who was breathing hard and fast as if she was the one who had run all this way, said, "Say it! You took a wrong turn..."

Finally accepting defeat, dad could only give a nod as he said, "Fine! You win! But look! See that?"

His wife's nose shriveled up like Kagome's blossom buds. "What's this old building...?"

"It looks like an entrance."

She gasped as her husband stepped out of the car with a haughty simper on his face. "Dear, get back in the car! We're going to be late-Wha? Sota! K…Ka-GO-me! Oh, for heaven's sake."

Sota and Kagome accompanied their father's side as he stood in front of the profound channel way with his palm feeling about the inner wall.

"This building's not old, it's fake. These stones are just made of plaster," Dad smirk slouched off his cheeks to hear the wind singing chants to their eardrums from inside the tunnel.

Of course Kagome also stood out wanting to tell her parents that they should go, for she was getting a strange feeling about this place. Kagome could only stare at the strange tunnel, not really paying attention to anything. For some strange reason something inside her told her not to go in. Whatever it was, she wanted to listen to that voice inside her.

The leaves at her sneakers tumbled into the unknown tunnel at the wind's seducing whistle as if they were being sucked inside. "Oh…" she whispered as her hair rustled under the haunting draft. "The wind's pulling us in… "

Buyo's ears flattened on his noggin, his body growling.

"What is it?" Mrs. Higurashi's heels clapped against the old stone flooring until she was standing behind them all. "Why's everyone so tense?"

Dad calmly said, "Wow… this looks interesting… Come on, let's go check it out!"

Kagome pinched her eyes with a glare. "No way! Are you out of your mind?"

"C'mon, sis let's go in! I wanna see what's on the other side!" Sota cheered, the cat clinging to his back.

"I'm not going! It gives me the creeps!" She held her shivering elbows.

"Don't be such a scaredy-cat, Kagome," Sota teased.

"Let's just take a look," dad suggested to his wife instead.

Mrs. Higurashi's eyebrow cocked as she gazed into the pitch black darkness before their eyes.

Kagome spoke up again, "Dad, let's go! The movers might get to the house before we do!" Although she hated the fact that they were moving, that was no reason not to use it against her dad right now. She had a really strange feeling about this place and she just wanted to get away. The rest of her family seemed to have different plans though.

"It's alright. They've got the keys! They can start without us!" he said

"Alright. Just one quick look," mom said.

"I don't think we should go in. That tunnel is giving me a bad feeling," Kagome said quickly, "See? Even Buyo things it's a bad idea!"

And indeed, the hair on Buyo's back was standing on end and he was letting off a slight growl.

Dad could only chuckle as he said, "He's a cat. He gets uneasy whenever someone doesn't feed him. Where's your sense of adventure Kagome? Let's go!"

Everyone began to head down the tunnel, even the cat, while mom called back, "Kagome? Just wait in the car then!"

"But guys!" Kagome yelled staring at them with her chocolate brown eyes as their silhouettes began to disappear; she stayed behind for a moment until finally the statue that was next to her finally gave her the creeps and she followed them.

Of course, there was a strange wind flowing through the tunnel that blew her raven black hair behind her as if something was warning her to go back now. Mom saw the look on her daughter's face and said, "Kagome, you have to calm down, dear. You don't have to worry because nothing bad will happen. Alright?"

But Kagome didn't show any sign of responds that she heard her mother.

"Everybody, watch your step," her father advised, his silhouette vaguely distinguishable in the blackened surrounding.

At the end of the tunnel was a room.

"What is this place?" Sota piped, hugging Buyo.

At the other end of the tunnel welcomed them with the architecture of an abandoned, ancient church. Dry leaves of brown decorating the concrete floors and cob webs lodged between the pillars left the family mystified. The ocher light from the exit guided their eyes to the outside. Wooden benches, colored glass and something that resembled drinking fountains were scattered around the room. It looked to be abandoned for quite a while, and anther shiver ran up Kagome's spine.

"Where are we?" Kagome whispered as she glanced around nervously. This place was Creepy with a capital C. She was half expecting to have a ghost jump them from behind one of the stone pillars or sit up from the benches. She really had watched too many horror movies with her friends but she didn't really care. Something was very off with this place.

"Hmm…" dad glanced around as well, though not with the fear that was in Kagome's eyes. He held his free hand to his ear and listened for a second, "Do you hear that?"

Kagome didn't hear anything for a moment accept for the thick dapping of dripping water leaked off a fountain. That is until a low whistle sounded and the sound of whizzing metal wheels followed by the soft 'swssshhhhswsshhhh' of heavy metal against metal and the 'puffpuffpuff' of a steam engine.

"A train?" Kagome frowned at that idea and wondered why a train would be in a deserted place like this.

"We must be near a train station!" Sota beamed.

Eagerness swept through their father especially, "Let's go look outside," dad suggested, pointing toward the arched doorway at the end of the room. "Perhaps we'll see it."

Kagome knew her grandfather was just saying that so they'd continue to investigate, but what could she do? The man wouldn't go back even if she would beg, he was simply still too adventurous. Why her parents had wanted to move to a town where it would be 'nice and quiet' was beyond her.

His wife nodded and followed forward with Sota.

Unwillingly, Kagome followed them… but she couldn't help but stare back at the black tunnel they had left; it was like it was telling her just how far they were submerging themselves into this unknown world. She jogged up a bit faster to walk in step with her mother, wary of that passageway and its creepy aura.

Why was everything so doggone creepy around here?


	3. To a World yet Unseen

_**Chapter 3- To a World yet Unseen**_

"Maybe we're near the train station; we should go check it out."

Kagome knew her father was just saying that so they'd continue to investigate, but what could she do? The others wouldn't go back even if she would beg, besides, Sota would never let her hear the end of it.

Kagome could only stare at the sunlight at the end of the tunnel, not really paying attention to anything else. All she could think about was the voice that was in her head telling her that they should get out of here and fast. But no, she was too scared to do anything. When they finally got out of the tunnel there was nothing but a field full of flowers. Everyone could only gasp in awe.

"What is this place?" Sota piped, hugging Buyo close to him.

Everyone took a full minute to gawk at the unusually large meadow of dancing grass blades, home to many more strange-looking statues soiled in the earth. There were little huts stabbed with holes and patched with discolored tiles. Larger buildings were seen beyond the landscape afar in the distance.

"What are those weird buildings?" Kagome spoke amongst the talkative wind, clutching Sota's small hand for some reason.

"I knew it."

The family raised their bewilderment to the father.

"It's an abandoned theme park. See?" Dad looked up at the building they had exited from, which appeared to be a red-painted clock house, parched by age. "This is an abandon amusement park! And by the looks of it, it's like this was a feudal Japan themed park! And this must be part of the old train that used to come through here. Listen you can still hear the train now!"

They kept quiet for a few moments, and sure enough, there was the sound of a train going. But something didn't sound right. It did sound like a train but… it was slightly off…

She couldn't explain why but, it sounded more like the train chugging was mixed with the sound of growling. Like it was a beast disguised as a train and was just waiting for its next meal. But that didn't make any sense…

Then again nothing about this place was making sense for Kagome...

Her parents walked onward to probe around more, little Sota sprinting along.

"Wh… Where are you all going? You said that we'd just a quick look! Now let's go BACK!" Kagome balled her fingers down at her hips while they ignored her pointless screeching. "HEEEEELLLLLLLLLOOOOOOO?"

The angered wind overpowered her yell. She fearfully spun her head around to the large clock house that towered over her. A tornado of leaves and flower petals forced her legs to start moving; it was as if the building was telling her to get going. Kagome wrapped her arms around herself, her nails digging into her arms, frowning to hear the building's whimper. Without much more defiance, she rushed for her family.

"Did you guys hear that b-building? I-It was moaning!" she babbled.

Sota looked back at his bug-eyed sister, arms behind his head. "It's just the wind, Sis. Shesh, you're a bigger scaredy cat than Buyo."

For the first time in her life, Kagome let that little insult slip and kept her focus stuck on the clock house that they were leaving behind.

"Oh, what a beautiful place!" their mother cooed. "We should've brought some food, and then we could've had a picnic."

As Kagome was practically dragged along, everyone was looking at the huts around them and buildings still quite a bit ahead of them. Kagome wondered if the twinkle would leave their eyes any time soon, but she really doubted it. Which of course also meant that she wouldn't be getting out of here any time soon… wherever they were.

Before long they were crossing a line of boulders covered in moss. Kagome took a firm grip on them as she tried to cross, but slipped here and there on the slick surfaces. She cursed silently at her own klutziness as she moved.

"Well, I think they were making a river here, wonder why they stopped," her dad said as he made it to the other side and began looking around, examining his surroundings to see what he could discover. Kagome was just glad she was almost over the rocks and didn't really pay much attention to the puddles of water that were flowing between the rocks and cracks.

After Kagome, Sota, and mom were finally across the rocks, she sighed in relief before groaning as her family simply continued their way towards the small town. Great, she really wouldn't be getting away from this place any time soon. Knowing them, her family would examine those huts until they had seen every little detail.

Her dad then caught up a whiff of something. He barely paid any attention to his wife when she toppled into his side. "Hey, you smell that?" he said as he sniffed, a firm grip on her wrist to keep her upright. "Something smells delicious."

Sota hopped over the stones to approach them. "Aw great, 'cause I'm TOTALLY starved!"

"Let's go!" dad said as they all set off in the course of his heightened nose. "Maybe this park is still open after all!"

"HEY! Wait a minute!" Kagome whined in a sort of 'wait-for-me' whimper.

Her dad called back, "Come on Kagome! Let's go check out what they have to eat, it's dinner time after all."

Kagome sighed just from listening to her father, once he smells food and when he's hungry he losses all of the worries he was thinking about, even when he wasn't really thinking about them, food is the only thing that gets him out of his thoughts.

They entered the town and Kagome slowly trudged around, not paying much attention to her family running around, checking out house after house in an almost child-like fascination. Of course, Sota WAS a kid but you get the idea.

She sighed as Sota almost caused her to crash into the ground when he passed her to go to one of the houses on the other side of the street. Kagome merely continued to sulk.

They all started to follow Mr. Higurashi to where the smell of food was coming from. After about five minutes of walking and searching they found a little market. Well it almost looked like a market, and the smell was very clear now.

It smelled like a piece of heaven.

"Hey! Over here, I found it!" he called as his mouth watered at the plates of cluttered foods atop the tables of a lonesome restaurant; hot wings, chicken strips, steak, fish and yam all for the taking.

Sota and Mom didn't delay to reach their father, but Kagome on the other hand, loitered far behind.

"Ahh, look at this!" Mom said as she clasped her hands, seating herself. "Come in, Kagome! This looks delicious!"

"Not on your life," Kagome said angrily.

The kitchen seemed to be vacant, however. All except for the boiling steam that was left over the stove there were no signs of anyone. Kagome curiously came closer and glanced into the building to see a long table with food standing there, but there was definitely no one else around.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm starving!" Dad said as he entered and sat himself down in one of the chairs. Looking into the kitchen to try and find trying to find someone to take their orders. Kagome stayed by the door, not wanting to get into trouble for eating food that wasn't hers.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Sota called. No reply, and yet another shiver ran up Kagome's spine. She didn't like the looks of this at all.

Mom looked up and down the table, "If there's food here then where is everyone?"

Sota shrugged as he said "Who cares? Let's eat!"

"What?" Kagome said in a slight panic. "NO! Come on, guys. They're not here and they'll get mad if you eat their food."

She was once more ignored. Getting angry again she said loudly, "GUYS? We shouldn't be taking this food! Let's just get back to the car and leave!"

"Don't worry, dear," Mom answered as she invited herself to a treat of the fiery red chicken that was practically begging her to bite into. "We can pay the bill when they get back."

"I wonder what this is…" Sota held up a slice of steak and nudged a piece into Buyo's mouth, who immediately spluttered it back out. "Aww, you don't like it, Buyo?"

"Oh, Kagome, it's delicious! You have to taste this!" Her mother lavished over her meal, mouth full of dangling meat.

Kagome frowned, shaking her head again. "I don't want any. COME ON! LISTEN TO ME!"

Dad simply kept gathering food as he replied, "Don't worry you've got daddy here! I've got cash, credit cards, and checks. No need to worry."

Kagome could only sigh as she said, "Fine, be that way. I'm gonna look around some more. But don't blame me if you get into trouble."

Sota piled more onto his plate. "Sis, c'mon!" He slurped up his food gluttonously. "You have to try this stuff!"

How could they be such… PIGS?

"No!" Kagome growled at her little brother, more irritated by their uncharacteristic greediness. She looked down the road, seeing no one but her shadow.

"Meow," said Buyo suddenly as he sat at her feet.

Kagome smiled slightly as she bent down to scratch his ears. "At least I have you on my side Buyo," she whispered. The cat mewed again as if it too was begging to leave this place. If even a cat thinks being somewhere was bad then why were they still here?

The snorts and grunts of pig-like appetite only seemed to get noisier as they proceeded to wolf and gorge down on the mountains of their feast. Dropping her shoulders in angry defeat, Kagome closed her eyes and wandered off into the town alone.

All the while, she ended up glaring at the buildings she passed as if they could do something about her situation. In Kagome's opinion they actually could, since her family had been drawn to them.

No one seemed to be in the park, Kagome still believed that this place was far from an amusement park. The creepy vibe Kagome had been feeling was only increasing as she walked further. Kagome tried to ignore and shake it off, but something was telling her that she shouldn't be in this place.

She scaled the tall stone steps, her arms limp. Once she reached the top, she stared at the enormous building just across the bridge from her. It looked like something right out of her history books at school.

"Is that…?" Kagome inhaled her breath. "That's a little weird."

She stood on the wooden panes of the bridge, reading the signs. "It's a castle," she said thoughtfully to herself. "Haven't seen those in awhile." It was the kind of castle that you would expect for a Japanese lord to rule over. (Naraku's castle from the anime if you can't picture it)

She frowned at the idea. What was a castle doing here? Was that where the people that had made the food were?

Her thought were interrupted as the sound of a train passing came from somewhere below her. Kagome quickly turned to one of the railings and towed her feet to the ledge of the bridge. She bowed her body beneath the banister to see a train going through some kind of tunnel beneath them.

"There just have to be people here if there's a train, right?" she said to herself as she followed the train with her eyes until it passed under the bridge.

What was going on? A park with no one in it? Food just cooked but no one eating it? And trains with no one riding them?

Kagome quickly ran to the other side to try and see where the train was going, standing on the lowest beam of the railing to see better. Suddenly, a different kind of aura began to bug her; but before she could figure out what it was, she caught movement from the corner of her eye.

Kagome quickly looked aside to have her eyes widen.

She was face to face with a boy…

A teenage boy only a little older standing there, shock also evident in his eyes. Kagome slowly let her eyes travel up his body that was sadly hidden beneath loose worker's clothes until she came to his face.

Everything about him was so strange yet striking…

He was dressed in an outdated, long-sleeved, tucked Kimono the color of burning red and baggy pants to match. He had long silver hair that shined in the sun light and wonderful gold eyes that could pierce anyone's soul. But on top of his head was something that she never expected to see. Dog ears? Now this was really weird… but at the same time she thought that they were adorable. She wanted to run over and touch them.

She swallowed thickly at realizing how sexy the boy in front of her really looked.

The shock in the golden depths melted away to leave no apparent emotion in its wake. Yet when it finally seized him, he took an unsure step forward with a feathery breath, his mane of white hair and clothes afloat for just that instant. He looked as though he were suddenly remembering something…

Kagome reared back, confused by his unyielding stare.

As the long-haired teen continued to blink, he suddenly paced at her with a stiff demand, "You're not supposed to be here!" he yelled at her.

She blinked. What was that?

"Didn't you hear me? You shouldn't be here. Get out of here _NOW_!" His bulky bangs and forelocks swayed with the rhythm of his rough walk.

Kagome stepped down from the railing and stared in confusion, cringing when he was close enough and extended out his commanding arm. "What?" she asked.

"It's almost night. LEAVE before it gets _dark!_" the guy never blinked, always glared.

Kagome's eyebrows wrinkled back as the shadows of herding clouds danced over the features of the boy's slightly wild face, making him look almost like a cornered animal.

"Wha-?" Kagome began again.

"What are you doing here? You must leave! Go get outta here! You have to get back through the tunnel before it's too late!" he was really starting to scare Kagome now and she took a step back. The other kept a determined and cold look on his face though and took hold of her wrist.

"Hey!" Kagome yelled, finding her voice again. "LET GO OF ME!"

As she fought to get the guy's own, vice-like grip off her, the sun was peeking just barely between the hostile twilight clouds that kidnapped it for the night. The lamps to the entrance of the castle flickered on.

The dog-eared man flung his head around to speculate the lamps. "They're lighting the lamps…" he informed more to himself before grabbing Kagome by the shoulders and spinning her around. "Get out of here! You gotta make it across the river at least! GO and don't look BACK!" He shoved her along the bridge hastily. "Quickly, get back through the tunnel. I'll hold them off!"

He then turned to the reviving castle and slashed through the air, before crying out, "Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"

And as suddenly as he appeared, he was gone. Kagome couldn't believe her eyes. That boy just disappeared!

Kagome decided that she finally had a good excuse for leaving and she ran until the fizz of the lamp's light beside her flickered on. It was as if they were telling her to keep running before it was too late for whatever it was that would occur. She clambered down the stone steps from which she came, just to stop at the last row to see nothing but darkness blinding her vision up ahead.

Squinting in a fringe attempt to continue, she rubbed her eyes silly and asked back over her shoulder, "What's up with HIM?"

Kagome didn't need any further warnings as she sprinted back into the small town. She ran back to the restaurant, not noticing the lamps around her coming to life or the shadowy figures appearing around. She could only focus on the feeling of absolute dread that spread through her more and more as she came closer to the building her family was in.

Kagome raced in a marathon against time, by the time that the restaurant was in her sights did she finally noticed the lights revealing creatures that she had only seen in her storybooks that lurked the streets.

Demons.

Now scared to the maximum point, she stumbled to the restaurant her family was pigging out and tugged on her father's shirt persistently. "Mom, Dad, Sota! C'mon, quit eating! We have to get out of here! This place is getting weirder than it already WAS!"

They only made a few grunting sounds when they answered her.

"Dad? We have to get out of here! There's something wrong with this place!"

She got no reply as the figure sitting in the seat her dad had been in kept eating. Kagome panicked even more.

"Come on, guys!" Kagome stormed over and tried to pull her dad out of the chair. She looked up as he turned his head to look at her and Kagome fell back onto the ground in shock and fear.

She was positive it wasn't her father.

The one sitting in the chair was not her father – although they wore the same clothes – but a pig. A sweaty pig WEARING her father's stretched out clothes. It turned his head back, starting to eat again as soon as Kagome had let go, the food obviously more interesting.

The oversized beast snorted and chewed, beady eyes staring mindlessly at her. He licked at the edges of the table to slurp up leftover sauce, causing plates to clatter and shatter beneath him.

Kagome could feel her hairs stand on end as she backed up, choking on a stifled inhale of oxygen. "D… D-Daddy?"

Next, horror spearing her like a knife when she heard a sort of whip-cracking-sound. She screamed when she saw a long, demonic like arm holding a whip in its hand came out of nowhere and started to whip the pig so it would stop eating. Kagome stared in terror, at first the pig simply ignored it as it was whipped in the face. But after a few more hits, it squealed in protest. It leaned away from the food to escape from the whip and fell to the ground, still squealing indignantly.

That does it. If Kagome ever got out of here, she was never eating a ham sandwich again.

Suddenly, another gross, demon arm lashed out and spanked a spatula across either cheek of the pig that was wearing her mother's clothes. Kagome shrieked, her back itching against the post pole in a feeble movement to get away from it all. When she finally regained her mind, she pushed off the ground and stood up just as the rising pig squealed out all its saliva.

Kagome couldn't take it anymore at that point and ran out of the restaurant, completely freaked out and her mind in total chaos. Where had her family gone? Did they see what was happening and run back to the car? Why had those pigs been wearing their clothes? What the hell was going on here?

Kagome's horrified tears pearled along her eyelashes. She stood in the center of her nightmare at the crossroads, calling helplessly, "MOM! DAD! SOTA! WHERE ARE YOU?"

She stopped yelling and looked round her, now noticing the figures seemingly made of shadows, and the dozens of demons that were walking around as if everything was normal. Kagome was sure that she was going insane and the only reason she hadn't caved in was the adrenaline pumping through her body.

Something bumped into her back and without looking, Kagome bolted away, not even wanting to know what had been behind her. She ran towards the dried up river, hoping everyone would be somewhere around there but doubting it extremely.

The air was so black and thick that she tripped as she approached the river and braced herself against falling on the hard ground. The impact never came though as ice cold water broke her fall. She had squealed to hear the splash and feel the coldness of bitter river water soak soaked her to the bone the moment she fell in. She gasped at the freezing sensation suddenly grasping her body and her chaotic mind only went into more confusion as she desperately went back above water.

"WATER?" Kagome screamed. There hadn't been any water here before. What was going on?

She quickly crawled back onto shore to the stone stairs, shivering as her clothes where now drenched and cold. She looked at the lake now in front of her; her mind not being able to grasp that water could've just appeared like that out of nowhere. She faced her slender body to the gold lined across the moaning clock house and a column of surrounding buildings filled with lights on the other side of the water.

"No… N-No," Kagome grabbed her hair as she shut her eyes tightly to expel the illusion. "This can't be happening! It's just a dream, a _dream!_" She peeked out to the water again, still seeing the vision of glowing lights of amber. As if there was a giant festival going on the other side.

A ferryboat drifted to the water's edge near Kagome, and Kagome panicked even more if that was possible. "Come on, wake up, WAKE UP!" Kagome screamed at herself as her knees hit the ground, clawing at her face until it became painful.

"Wake up…" she whimpered for the last time.

She clenched her eyes shut again as she buried her face in her hands, just wanting to wake up from this dream. It just had to be a dream, this _couldn't_ be happening to her.

She started to cry, pressing her fists to her face as she kept chanting it was all just a dream, until a tingling sensation running through her body made her look at herself. Her eyes widened as she could see right through her hands.

"I'm see-through?" she croaked as she held her fists up to the light of the boat to indeed see right through them. She lifted her palms into the lights before her, clearly making out the dark gold tinges of illumination outlining gossamer phalanges. She tried to undo the transparency by rubbing her hands together, but then noticed that her arms were disappearing right along after. She screamed as she then got back onto her feet, only to fall back onto the stone steps behind her.

As she quickly got back up, she heard something.

THUMP.

She turned her head…

The ferry had arrived.

Kagome stood like a deer caught in the headlights to see the door fall onto the stone path. Demons of all kinds: some that looked like animals, some that looked like they could pass for humans, and worst of all, demons that looked like they were released out of hell itself all came out through the ferry from bow to stern.

This was too much. Her hands were going see-through, there were pigs where her family had been, a dried up river had suddenly filled with water, demons and shadows were walking the town that had been previously deserted.

Too much… this was all too much.

The music, the lights, the ghosts, the insanity.

This was too real for a dream.

Kagome snapped and ran up the hill she'd come from as fast as she could, tears running down her face as sobs escaped her throat and mind no longer wanting to take anything around her in. Kagome finally ran over to a nearby hill, stumbling over rocks and grass blades, before hiding herself behind a vacant household to shiver from her own stress.

Review PLEASE

**(Hey! Hope you like this new chapter. Sorry, I'd been working on a new story and I haven't had any time recently. I just put up a harry potter story: Beside me… always. If you have the time, I would appreciate it if you read it and tell me what you think.)**


	4. I'm a Friend

**_Chapter 4- I'm a Friend_**

Kagome cried silently, her body rocking with the sobs as she tried not to draw any attention to herself. She'd hidden in the shadows of the town, behind all the buildings and away from all the things in the streets. She was scared out of her mind, her body was slowly growing more transparent with each passing second, and she still didn't have the slightest idea what was going on. The only thing she knew was that she wanted to find her family and go home.

The traumatized girl was much too busy wallowing in self-pity to notice that someone was coming towards her. She went on mentally wailing, until an arm was wrapped around her shoulder and Kagome tried to pull away automatically, her eyes opening wide as she looked at whatever was trying to get her now. Her cinnamon-brown eyes locked with golden suns as the boy she'd seen earlier on the bridge pulled her into his chest, not caring that Kagome was struggling in protest against his embrace.

In a strangled gasp, she stared in terror into those eyes of the boy who screamed at her to run earlier. Why didn't she listen?

"Don't you dare freak out on me," he hissed. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to help."

"No! Let me go!" she begged as more tears streamed down Kagome's cheeks and she tried to break free from the other's grip to no avail. The other simply pulled her into an awkward hug, rubbing her back soothingly in an attempt to calm her. Kagome tried to push him away but she could tell that he was far stronger than she was and she didn't stand a chance against him. She sobbed louder before finally giving in to dog-boy's embrace and crying into his chest.

For a few minutes she did nothing but just that, just crying and shaking uncontrollably as the handsome stranger rubbed her back and held her. It felt familiar and normal somehow, though Kagome had no idea how that could be possible. She didn't care much either at the moment though.

"Keh, don't be so twitchy. I'm not gonna eat you; like I said, I'm here to help," the stranger promised, his tone a bit more calming than earlier.

"No… no! Let me go!" Kagome said as she started to panic again, shaking her head while damp black strands flung over her cheeks. She tilted away from him, but her shoulders were still in his insistent hands.

The strange boy uncovered a red pill from the pocket of his red kimono and said, "Open your mouth and eat this." He bent closer, now demanding.

Kagome didn't cease her constant protests. With one last retort, she thrashed her arms out in an attempt to shove him away forever. "NO!"

But she felt nothing but a ghostly aura envelop her arms. She gazed into the boy before her, seeing her transparent arms positioned right through his slightly annoyed face. She contracted the muscles in her fingers a bit to grasp something other than air. Withdrawing her arms quickly, she noticed him bend forward even further, unfazed by her rashness.

After the few minutes of stunned silence the dog-eared teen looked into her eyes with an oddly gentle gaze and whispered, "Shh, I'm a friend, don't worry." The boy held the pill-like something in front of Kagome, "Here… don't worry," he guaranteed through an almost amused yet annoyed voice. "It won't turn you into a demon or even a pig_._" He wedged the pill between her lips despite her objection. "Damn, you're a stubborn one." She heard him huff under his breath. "If you don't eat something from this world you'll disappear! It won't hurt." He practically pushed the food into Kagome's mouth, she made some protesting sounds but in the end she swallowed the berry with disdain.

"Chew it then swallow," he said.

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, chewing reluctantly until it was guzzled down her throat; though it felt like swallowing a rock. She licked the insides of her gums to remove the foreign taste, her eyes propped open; wondering if she was turning into a pig.

"There you go. You see?" the stranger almost babied her. He raised a hand, "Now you don't have to worry about being see-through."

Kagome gave his palm an alienated stare, but eventually softened her tired lids and reached out. With the utmost hesitation yet finalization, her gentle fingers pressed into his rough hand. She kept it there, eyes big and astonished. It didn't go through!

The stranger's lips coiled into a smile, his eyes falling victim to the soft entertainment at her childlike amazement.

"I'm okay…" Kagome realized. She looked down at her body to see that it was true. She had become solid again.

"You see? What I tell you? Are you alright?" he said in a know-it-all voice before he clasped her hand in two of his, the small smile lasting. For the first time since the time on the bridge Kagome looked, really looked, into his eyes. The cold look was no longer anywhere in sight and one of concern now showing quite clearly, making her heart skip a beat. Kagome wanted to just melt into that look, feeling safe for the first time since she'd entered this world.

"I think so…" she whispered as she relaxed slightly and the other finally released his hold. Kagome somehow found herself wishing the other had continued to hold her, the feeling of safety now diminishing greatly.

"Good, now we have to get you out of here. Come with me," he said as he stood up, taking Kagome's hand in his and trying to pull her with him. Kagome would have none of it though, preferring to just sit there and not go into the town of shadows where her parents and brother had disappeared.

"Wait!" Kagome grabbed his hands with both hers, not budging. "Where is my family? They… didn't really turn into animals, did they?" Kagome bit her bottom lip and looked down, pulling her hand free from his grip and new tears appearing in her eyes.

He sighed, "You can't see him right now, maybe later." He wasn't answering the question, and Kagome wasn't sure if it was because he didn't know or if…

Kagome slowly nodded and made to get up as dog boy suddenly looked up at the sky, seemingly sensing something.

He suddenly crouched down, pulling Kagome with him once more and making them as small as possible, Kagome safely in his arms.

Before Kagome could respond, he was at her eye level and shielding her body behind his to the wall.

"Don't move," she heard him order and did her best not to start worrying. What could be happening now? She didn't know what it was he was looking at, but apparently there had been something in the depth of the skies looking for them. Frankly, she had tried not to look to spare herself.

Kagome tried to look up from the protective hold she was in to see swarm of the biggest and ugliest bugs she had ever seen. They were the size of small birds with large red eyes and blood red stingers that made Kagome shiver. They seemed to be searching for something… and Kagome had a bad feeling that it was her.

"He's looking for you," the boy said. Kagome wanted to ask desperately what the bugs were that her new 'friend' was so worried about, and especially who this 'he' was, but decided against it. Her brain was already on overload and she probably couldn't handle more information right now.

Kagome just went on staring at him like an idiot, jaw-slacked by his mood change. Grudgingly, her cheeks tainted pink like her cherry blossoms as she finally realized just how close they were.

The swarm flew towards the large castle Kagome had seen and the teen abruptly stood up, the determined look he'd shown on the bridge back on his face, "We have to go, let's run." Kagome wanted to get up to follow him, deciding to just go with whatever he said since he seemed to be trying to help. Her legs however, wouldn't move an inch, somehow not wanting to work.

"I can't stand up!" she screamed as panic once again showed in her cinnamon eyes and Kagome bit her bottom lip again. The older crouched down next to him and put a soothing arm around her shoulder.

"Relax, take a deep breath." Kagome calmed down slightly and did as she was told, not really knowing what taking a deep breath would help but the other seemed to know what he was doing. She closed her eyes forcefully and breathed in a penetrating gasp of air into her lungs.

The boy picked her up into his arms and they started to run at a speed Kagome thought to be impossible. They passed through several restaurants and kitchens and Kagome was sure she'd fall at one point but somehow they kept running without bumping into anything or losing speed. Kagome once again couldn't bring herself to be surprised; too much had happened already.

The lights from the buildings and lanterns were blurred out by the velocity he carried her in. They hurried through an alleyway, the boy using the flick of his hand to prop open a blockade door without truly touching it. He led her astray through a maze of kitchens, a freezer, and past the pigs' stand.

Kagome found herself looking for the faces of her parents and brother behind the fencing, but the pigs all looked the identical. They passed through a pig-pen quickly before she could get a better glance. Could her family really be pigs now?

When the running was no longer needed, the unnamed teen put her down gently. She grasped hold of his arm to keep herself from falling before he began to her back to the castle bridge. The only difference it was to the emptiness from before was the mass of deformed bodies ambling across it.

"We're going to cross the bridge. You have to hold your breath while we're crossing or the spell I cast will stop and everyone will be able to see you. As a human you won't be welcomed here with open arms." Kagome turned a nervous gaze on the other, wondering, if that was true, why this sexy teen helping her at all in the first place? A small hesitation came back to her. Was this a trap?

"Come on," he said as he opened the gate and they walked over to the bridge. Kagome's heartbeat quickened as they got closer, knowing she'd never been good at holding her breath for long periods of time. That bridge suddenly looked awfully long to her.

The boy didn't seem to mind it when she clung to his masculine arm through the sleeve of his kimono and embraced it to her breast. She was squeezing the juice out of it, she was sure.

"I'm not gonna lie. I'm scared out of my mind," she divulged her fear to him, not that he didn't already know, but she felt like she were installing all her trust in him by verbally admitting and accepting it to him.

"It's gonna be fine," he muttered, face a valley of emotionlessness.

"Ready?" Kagome would've loved to say no to that question, but she nodded nonetheless, calming herself slightly so she wouldn't start hyperventilating.

"Now!"

Kagome took a big gulp of air and held it just as they stepped onto the bridge. No one started to panic so Kagome figured she hadn't been too late and the other had been right. Now all she had to do was keep a firm grip on her lifeline – which was in a death grip right now so no problems there – and hold her breath until they'd crossed, something that would prove more difficult.

Kagome eyed the blind, overgrown demons that hosted the guests at their end of the bridge. They bowed respectfully and welcomed each spirit with their night lamps.

As they walked Kagome couldn't help but be amazed by all of the people… rather creatures that are here. She wondered what they are. But she couldn't tell at the moment. Suddenly, a strange little girl dressed all in white with matching white flowers in her white hair, walked up to them.

The boy spoke dominantly over her, "I'm back so you don't have to bother asking where I've been alright?"

"Welcome," she said so quietly that Kagome almost didn't hear her. Her voice sounded so… empty. It was almost as if there was an empty void inside her. It sent shivers up Kagome's spine. "Welcome back, Master Inu."

_'Inu?'_ Kagome blinked up at the profile of his face, dismissing the fact that these mutated demons were speaking._ 'Is that his name?'_

Kagome squeezed her nostrils shut behind a bracing palm. They were about halfway passed the bridge when Kagome noticed that someone was following them with his eyes. Rather… it was a small child that looked more like a fox than anything else. He had bright green eyes that looked great with his red hair, along with the fox tail, ears, and feet. She panicked for a second as the fox looked her straight in the eye, but didn't say a thing. Although Kagome was unnerved by the fact that someone could still see her, she was glad that the little fox demon hadn't said anything about it.

But he was so CUTE though!

They walked along the bridge of eerie spirits of every size and format. Human-looking women greeted them on the other side into the castle through wheedled voices. Near the end, Kagome was groaning for oxygen.

"Hang on, almost there." Inu muttered under his breath, but her face was turning blue.

The other side of the bridge came closer and Kagome resisted the urge to sigh in relief. Her lungs were starting to protest against the lack of oxygen and she really wanted to take a deep gulp of air. Inu squeezed her hand lightly, "Almost there, just hold on for a little longer." Kagome nodded, looking at the end of the bridge longingly.

At that moment, a little flea dressed up came jumping from somewhere inside and up to Inu. "Master Inu! It's good to see you!"

Kagome was so shocked to see the talking flea that she couldn't help but gasp. The flea then noticed Kagome and said "Huh? A human?" Making sure his eyes didn't deceive him, the little bug sprung up to reach their faces again, but this time, he wasn't going to land.

Thinking quickly Inu, (and just after Kagome heard a hissy-fit of, "Shit") pushed a pressure point in her neck causing her to freeze. Inu stomped the flea and quickly ran and found a door dragging Kagome with him.

"Let's GO!" Inu's strong fingers imprisoned Kagome's as he yanked her down with him, running pass the employees and the demons that were at the entrance. Not even noticing the blur of red and white that went flying by, this gave Inu the chance to sneak Kagome into the garden behind the bridge.

The flee that was squashed into hard surfaced wood was able to pull himself up long after Inu and Kagome had disappeared. He blinked his pain away and snatched a glance from right to left. "M… M'lord?"

They didn't stop running until they were crouching in a side room of the castle, out of sight of everyone. Chaos had taken over in the room next to them, voices shouting for Inu and that there was a human in their world. Kagome sighed as she felt Inu put an arm around her shoulder again.

Inu tugged Kagome through the garden patches beside the castle until they were safely hidden behind the refugee of bushes. The chattering of alarmed workers scampered back and forth around the castle.

"Master Inu! Oooh, Inu! Master Inu!" The demon workers cried out frantically. "Good GRIEF! Find the human before Naraku finds out!"

"Just great, they finally realized that you're here," the guy called Inu said in disgust.

"I'm sorry, I breathed," Kagome muttered. "I couldn't help it."

"Keh, humans. Look… You don't need to be sorry. It's that good-for-nothing flea Myoga. You did great, Kagome."

"So… what now?"

Inu sighed and leaned back on the wall they were sitting against.

"They'll find us if we stay here. I'll go to distract them so you can escape." Kagome's eyes widened and she immediately clutched onto Inu in another tight grip.

"No! Please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone! Especially not in a place like this! You're the only person here who can tell me what's going on!" she buried her face in the other's chest, somehow not feeling awkward at all doing so. A sigh was heard as strong arms wrapped around her.

"It's the only way to save your family." Kagome's grip tightened at those words. So her parents and Sota really turned into animals then?

"They… they really are pig then? So I wasn't just having a really bad dream or hallucination?" The arms around her tightened in a silent answer and Kagome pushed back the tears that wanted to come out. She'd cried enough for one day. _'Come on Kagome!'_ she thought angrily. _'Toughen up!'_

"Listen," Inu pulled away and looked straight into Kagome's eyes, "There's still time to save your folks and kid brother but you have to get work her in the castle. If you don't, the demon controlling this world, Naraku, will turn you into an animal as well." Kagome bit her lip and nodded, not wanting to leave but knowing it was the only way.

A cool hand was pressed to her forehead as Inu intently stared into her eyes. Suddenly the image of a door appeared in her mind. Kagome's eyes widened at the strange sensation against her forehead. A wooden door guarded by twin bushes of red orchids was nailed into Kagome's visualization. She could hear the long-haired Inu's voice funnel her through the images:

_"When everything quiet down, go through the back door and take the long stairs down all the way to the bottom."_

The door in Kagome's mind opened and a long wooden staircase appeared. The image went down, going faster as it went until a new door appeared.

_"Go through the door at the bottom to get into the Shrine. This is where Miroku lives."_

A tall, wooden door opened to reveal the entrance to a shrine before the hand on her forehead was removed and the images faded, as well as the mental voice.

"Miroku?" She repeated once Inu's hand withdrew, leaving her somewhat lonesome without the touch.

"A monk. Ask Miroku for a job. He'll refuse you but you can't give up. Naraku can't touch you if you get work, but until then he can do whatever he wants with you. Understand?" When Kagome nodded he went on, "Tell Miroku that you want to work here. Even if he refuses you have to keep arguing with him. He's got a thick head and doesn't know when to quit. But he's also a womanizer…" Kagome's eyes fired up as soon as he said that. She would have to deal with someone who can't take his eyes off a girl? Just her luck.

"So he should be more than happy to find something for you to do. But he's a lecher… thought I should warn you about that."

A lecher too? This day just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?

"Got that?" Inu finished, his face, once again, came within mere millimeters of her. "If you don't get a job, Naraku will turn you into a mindless animal. Just remember that."

Kagome nodded again, reluctantly letting go of the other and pulling away completely.

"You will do fine, Kagome." Inu got up as the yelling for him got louder. Kagome grasped his hand and pulled him back. Inu looked back at her slightly surprised.

"How do you know my name? It's the second time you've called me by it but I never gave it to you."

A small smile appeared on Inu's face, "I've known you since you were little. Don't forget, I'm your friend. My name is Inu."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

Something in Inu's face changed as she said that. "Believe me… I've known you since you were very tiny…Good luck, and whatever you do," finally, his fingers unraveled from hers and were set free. "Don't let anyone see you."

Inu walked into the room next to the one they'd been hiding in and Kagome listened as the older talked to the people there. "Master Inu!"

Inu said, as he walked calmly toward the callers, keeping his fierce posture, "Calm down, already! I'm coming so you can all shut up!"

"Master Inu, where were you?" Kagome heard one of the staff members inform.

"Why do you care?" Inu snapped at them and rotated his weary arm, disappearing into the light of the steamy castle. "Is it too much to ask to have some alone time from all of you?"

The slide-doors were brusquely shut, leaving Kagome out in the cold.

She dropped her face into her hands, whimpering…

Waiting for everything to settle down. But what worried her the most was… what was gonna happen now?

**(Sorry for taking so long. but my computer had a really bad virus and i had to wait a week to get it fixed. Please tell me what you all think!)**


	5. Getting a Job at the Castle

**_Chapter 5: Getting a Job at the Castle_**

"How did a human get here?"

"We have to find her before Naraku finds out!"

"Look over here, let's go this way!"

"Wait for me! I said wait for me dammit!"

"Then hurry up for once!"

Had Inu diverted the minds of the demons to send them prancing around the bridge for her after all? Her scent, however, still stained the leaves and flower petals of that garden… if they have such strong noses, how come they didn't noticed?

And what do they mean that humans smell? Some of those demons didn't smell pine fresh to her. But she digressed.

Once she was sure that things had settled down, or rather, she waited until things had become somewhat silent before getting up and walking over to the back door. Kagome didn't see anyone, which was a good thing. She wasn't sure what she would've done if anyone caught her before she got to the Shrine.

Nothing was going the way she had hoped. First there was the move, then her family got turned into pigs and now the only way she can save them is to get a job in this world or risk being turned into an animal herself. At this point though, it can't get much worse… Kagome shook her head back to the present and started to follow the path that Inu showed her in her mind.

Kagome cautiously creaked open the wooden back gate of the garden and crept out onto the banister-less wooden platform rowed against the side of the castle. Like in the mental images Inu had shown her, there was a long wooden staircase there, but Kagome wasn't sure if they could support any amount of weight.

Nevertheless, she gently placed her toe on the first stair; it seemed to be sturdy. Finally, something good happened! She took a deep breath; preparing for the long climb.

She held onto the side of the castle wall, the iced winds chilling her bones while she watched the railroad train ride under her again. "Come on, Kagome! You can do this! You can do this!" Kagome gulped. _'If only Inu were here right n-now…' _

Warily, Kagome lowered herself to the wooden ground and put one foot onto the step. The other leg followed after. She managed the same technique with the second poor step, but accidentally slipped a few steps down with her clumsiness.

"Oww…" she hissed, clutched to the step above her for dear life. Her eyes grazed over her shoulder to memorize that long way down. _'One hundred more stairs to go…'_ she thought is despair. She called forward all her courage and positioned her body to face her fears.

Kagome's sneaker stepped down on the next stair, her foot feeling about for its stability. Positive it was safe to press on, she leant all her body weight forward.

She slowly crouched down and put her foot on the step after that, and then the next step, biting her lip as each stair creaked under her weight. She slowly shifted on the foot, making sure the steps could hold her before standing on it. She breathed a sigh of relief each time before moving even further down.

"This isn't so hard," she said to herself, her confidence growing. She just became convinced that the old stairs would be able to hold her and put her foot on the next step without much thought. 

_'Y-Yes, th-this isn't so bad after all!'_ she thought all too soon.

The step creaked, like all the others, before cracking. Without warning, the stair step severed under her weight and shattered into a million splinters. The stair finally broke, causing her to slide down the stairs screaming at the top of her lungs.

Kagome yelped as she fell forward, only barely being able to catch himself, though only by running down the rest of the steps. Of course it felt like an hour of running, and screaming when it was only about 10 seconds. Kagome's shrill scream hurt the ears of the atmosphere as her body skidded down the rest of the staircase until she met the swerving corner. She half wanted to keep running because this all would be over sooner, but the other more rational part of her mind was screaming at her to stop somehow, this part only becoming louder as a thick wall appeared right in front of her.

Her unstoppable feet paced forward at gravity's will, causing her to throw her hands in front of her as the end of the stairwell came rapidly into view. Her voice box's loud stereo continued going off until she ran head-first into the wall. Her body fell limp a little as she eased her face away from the filthy concrete of the building, panting, and groaning in pain.

"Note to self: Walls don't move out of the way, not even in this crazy world," she mumbled to herself as she felt her heart return to normal.

Just a second or two after she smacked into the wall, she heard a hoarse voice from somewhere above her say, "Just let me open the window a bit…"

A window opened just above her head, and Kagome yanked her eyes up at the window that had snapped open above her. The head of a raccoon-dog in clothes was leaning out from the pane with some burning incense. Kagome stayed silent, hoping that he wouldn't see her, but it seemed the smoke from the incense was keeping her hidden.

Taking another deep breath, she pushed away from the wall and quietly edged her body further away from her spot, face still pasted to the wall until she was around the corner. She saw more steps leading further down. Kagome gulped as she walked over to them and once more started to descend. Luckily for her, no more steps shattered under her weight and she reached the bottom safely.

The Shrine was in eye range now. Kagome peered at the knob of the door that led to said room. The large metal door that Inu had shown her was right there. Kagome hesitantly walked over to it, half expecting it to slam her in the face just as a joke.

She looked around and little by little cracked it open, almost forgetting to close it behind her. A different kind of incense was filling the room, and its sweet-smelling perfume was almost too strong for her.

The Shrine was hot and Kagome was happy that she was wearing her old school uniform – she'd worn it to show her parents that she really didn't want to leave – because it had a jacket that she could take off. After she tied her coat around her waist, she walked further into the room, glancing at all the scrolls hanging on the wall and the Buddha statues that seemed to be watching every move she made.

She came to a room with a wall full of drawers with about a dozen little mouse holes underneath them. Coming out of the holes were another one of the strangest things she'd ever seen. There were at least 50 small sheets of paper, in little human forms, carrying rolls of parchment, scrolls, little boxes and trinkets that Kagome didn't recognize. Kagome figured that they were all tools for praying and keeping dark demons away.

She privately thought that they weren't doing much of a good job.

The shadow of a young man danced against the wall of the room from the flickering candles. She could hear him talking in a strange language and she knew right away that they were prayers. She could feel the presence of holy power working here. She knew that this room was safe.

Ok, so far so good… when she reached the end of the hall she saw the man, he looked to be around the age of 18 or 19.

He had black hair pulled into a ponytail that ends at his neck. His clothing was black and purple robes and he seemed to be grinding some plants together. At first he seemed normal but there was a strange feeling to him. As if he wasn't human.

Kagome peeked around the corner of the wall, seeing the colony of paper dolls carrying dozens of little items over to the largest statue of Buddha in the center of the room. She followed the paper creatures with her eyes for a while with curiosity, before she looked back at the man working at the small table. He was grinding strange herbs that Kagome couldn't define, and Kagome figured that this had to be the pervert Miroku.

_'Okay, a little weird, but…'_ her eyes descended over the monk's at his worktable, he was taking a herbs and putting them into a small stone bowl. _'He looks pretty normal.'_

Kagome stepped forward and made herself known but she was still uncertain in going over to ask for work as Inu had told her.

"Um… pardon me?" asked a calm yet slightly scared Kagome.

The man turned around to look at her. His eye brightened and he immediately stood up. "A human woman here of all place? Who are you and what do you want my rare beauty? Whatever it is… I'll be more than happy to try and help." Kagome once more gulped before pulling all her courage together and stepping forward.

"I'm sorry to bother you… but… er… are you Miroku the Monk?"

He gave her a goofy grin that had her worried. "Oh, you've heard of me? Yes, I am Miroku both a humble monk and a slave to this castle." Then he grabbed a handful of prayer beads and hollered at the little paper dolls, "Hey you Shikigami! Get to work!"

The little dolls, which she guessed were the Shikigami continued carrying the heavy objects over to them.

_"Weird,"_ thought Kagome before she looked back at Miroku and said, "A—I guess a demon—Inu told me to ask you for a job! Can you give me a job please?"

"Inu huh? That guy has a heart? No matter. I'm sorry but I don't need any more workers working for me; I've already got enough of those." Miroku looked back at this work again before asking in a hopeful tone, "But unless you were willing to bear my children of course?"

SLAP!

Inu had warned that he was a pervert. But this was completely not what she had been expecting. Bear his children? She rather get turned into an pig!

Completely unfazed by Kagome's slap in the face, as if he got slapped 5 times a day, Miroku turned in time to hear a tiny bell sounded and four talismans of some sort fell from the ceiling being held up by ribbons. Miroku cursed softly as he looked up and glared at them, probably hoping they would simply disappear into nothingness if he just kept doing that.

"Damn, four demons from hell are trying to get into the castle. Come on you guys, get to work!" he banged on the table. The Shikigami creatures came out of the holes again, doing as Miroku instructed.

"Please! I need work!" Kagome felt oddly bold talking to someone that had the nerve to ask her to have his children, but she getting desperate.

Miroku merely said, "I have all the workers I need. There's paper everywhere and with a simple spell they do all the work for me."

Kagome stared in confusion at the monk before looking back at the little Shikigami. _'So they're little bits of paper put under a spell? This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder.'_

She didn't have much time to keep thinking as she felt one of the Shikigami bumping into her foot. She looked down, seeing the creature trying to walk through her foot rather than going around it. Kagome figured they weren't smart enough to think of something like that, the spell only giving them enough mental capacity to do their work.

Kagome sighed. Not knowing what she could do. So she stood there and watched the little Shikigami working. But a few more stopped because her foot was in the way again. It let out a little squeak, letting her know that she needed to move.

Kagome lifted her foot while saying "Oh, sorry." But sadly that didn't last long, for more of the other Shikigami were squeaking, trying to get the teen to move. Kagome was standing on one foot, trying to get over the small workers. But it was easier said than done. For more and more of the small workers were getting crowed behind her foot.

"I'm sorry," she repeated as more creatures pilled at her feet and she bit her lip a little. "Just a second." Kagome carefully stepped over the Shikigami and stepped over to the wall of drawers, sighing in frustration as she sat down there, making sure not to be in the path of any of the dolls.

Miroku stared at her, trying to figure out what was going on. He couldn't help wondering what would want her to work here. Was there something up? Did something happen? That was hard to say and it wasn't right to ask anyone anything that isn't your business. So Miroku went back to work.

Kagome on the other hand wasn't going to give up that easily. She'd simply wait until Miroku was less busy and hoped that he would take pity and think of some kind of job for her to do; aside from anything that involves him touching her.

Miroku walked up to her and said, "I need to get something, move out of the way please." Glaring, Kagome did as she asked and he opened one of the many drawers in the wall. Then after Miroku got what appeared to be more herbs, he went back to making whatever he was grinding together.

Kagome stared after, not knowing what else to do than just watch. Starting to feel like she failed, she embraced her knees and went back to watching the Shikigami. Kagome sat down on the part of the higher floor, and then Kagome saw that one of the Shikigami was carrying a particularly heavy looking stone bowl that was too big for it.

She wasn't surprised to see that the weight of the bowl was too much for it and the little doll collapsed underneath it. It squealed and struggled, stuck under the crushing burden. On instinct, she stood up and grasped the stone bowl with both hands, trying to lift it but finding it heavier than she'd expected. She wondered how a living piece of paper could carry this. She grunted as she lifted it up, the Shikigami underneath popping back into shape as the load above it was removed.

Of course Kagome wasn't sure what to do with the bowl as soon as the Shikigami retreated back into the mouse holes of the wall, leaving Kagome with its unfinished work.

"What should I do with this?" she called to it. "Should I just leave it here?" Miroku turned his head, "I'm afraid that you must finish what you started, my dear," Miroku suggested.

Kagome glanced at him and then down at the bowl. She sidestepped her way through the lines of Shikigami that made a pathway for her, while they watched in brewing interest. Kagome bit her lip again before starting to walk to the table where Miroku sat. She slowly and gently laid it down in front of him, panting slightly with the effort she'd just put into carrying the heavy object.

The Shikigami exchanged bewildered expressions. They stared at her for a second, before one dropped the scroll it was holding and pretended it was too heavy. The rest soon followed and Kagome stared in confusion at the items now moving with the creature under them.

Kagome blinked dumbly as all the Shikigami were moving towards her, all crowding over to her.

Kagome could only stare at them, wondering why they were doing this. Miroku on the other hand glared at all of them and banged a large golden staff on the floor, "HEY! DO YOU WANT TO RETURN TO BLANK PIECES OF PAPER? And you!"

He pointed to Kagome, "You can't go and steal other people's jobs! If they don't work the spell wears off and they turn back into ordinary blank sheets." Miroku banged his staff again, glaring at the Shikigami with a passion, "Get back to work! Do you want the spell to wear off?"

"But please," Kagome begged. "I'm in really big trouble."

Miroku said, with a softer look in his eyes, "I'm sorry my dear. But I really don't need any help, as you can see my Shikigami are my workers so I have all the help I need. Now if there is nothing else I can help you with…"

Kagome shook her head as she said, "No! I was told that the only way I could help my family was to get a job here! Can you give me one please? And don't you dare try to tell me to leave because I ain't leaving till I get a job!"

Then the Shikigami started to squeak out of rage at Miroku's refusal and were surrounding Kagome. The Shikigami crowded around the girl, making protesting noises and Kagome looked from Miroku to the small creatures.

Miroku was starting to get angry now, "Do you have any problems with that? Get back to work!"

The Shikigami began to rebel. They squeaked madly and piled their items onto top of one another before Kagome, imprisoning her around the building wall.

Miroku screamed with rage, "ARE YOU DEFYING ME! GET BACK TO WORK!"

The dolls kept protesting as the sound of a plank slipping aside was heard. Kagome glanced up as a door opened and a woman's voice said, "Chow time!"

Miroku stared at the small door as a young woman came through it, holding some food. She walked up to Miroku and asked, "Are you guys fighting again? Jeez when will you learn Miroku? Can't you ever be a little nicer to the poor things?"

The girl didn't seem to notice Kagome as she walked over to the Miroku with the bowl, setting down in front of him. Miroku gave her a twinkling smile and said, "Oh, Sango. What did I do to deserve someone as kind as you to feed me every day?"

"Don't try to impress me monk," she said annoyed. "We go through this every day. Anyway where is your bowl? From Yesterday?" Miroku quickly grabbed some dirty dishes and gave them to the young girl as he said, "Sorry, my dearest Sango, but I've been so busy that I keep forgetting to leave my dishes out. Can you ever forgive me?"

When he hugged the girl known as Sango, his hand went a little lower where it shouldn't be. And then…

SLAP! BAM! WHAMP!

Sango's face was red as she said, "When will you ever learn Miroku? KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF!"

She left the bowl of food for Miroku and started to throw some colorful bits of rice at the small workers as they gathered to get their meal. Kagome got a better look at the woman. She had long brown hair in a low ponytail, matching brown eyes and wore pink and white Kimono and green apron. Sango slowly looked up as she noticed another presence in the room and honey-brown eyes widened when she turned her head and saw Kagome.

"A human? So you must be the one everyone upstairs must be looking' for!" Kagome froze, thinking she would now be turned into a pig or something as well, but the woman merely grinned at her. "I got to sneak out more food for my brother because of that. I like you already."

Kagome blushed as she smiled widely, "So, what brings you all the way down here? This castle isn't safe for someone like you."

"Uhm… I was told to get work here…" Kagome trailed off, looking at Miroku once more as if he would say something like,_ 'Oh, wait! I just remembered that I have a job opening!'_

"And of course Miroku here refused because he's got his toys to play with." Sango 'tsk'ed at Miroku, before smiling at Kagome again and asked, "But just who are you?"

Miroku calmly said, "She's my sister."

"Sister?" shouted a confused Sango. Miroku was stuffing his face with the food that was brought for him as he went on, "She says she needs a job here to help her family, but I have all the help I need. Can you take her to see Naraku? She's a tough girl… I'm sure she can handle it. Must be why mom always liked her best."

Sango glared at Miroku as she said, "Fine… But if I see Naraku I'm telling him that this was your idea!"

Kagome gulped, "I was kind of told to stay away from him."

"Yeah, that would've been really smart but Miroku wouldn't give you work if your life depended on it. I think you'll have to ask Naraku…" A frown crossed the other's face. "Naraku's your only chance… although there is of course a chance he'll turn you into a pig like that."

With that said, Sango started to walk away, yelling over her shoulder, "Come on! I'll take you there. Oh! And you don't need your shoes or socks. Just leave them."

Kagome did what she was told, and the small Shikigami were around her shoes wondering what they should do with them. When they started to walk out of the room Sango barely glanced back at Kagome saying "Don't forget to thank Miroku for his '_hospitality_'."

"Er… thanks?" she called to him. Sango snickered as Miroku muttered, "No respect." But a second later, he smiled while giving her the thumbs up saying, "I wish you the best of luck! And I hope that everything goes in your favor! Come back and we can get to know each other better!" With that said, Kagome and Sango were gone.

Sango gave him a _'don't you even think about it'_ look before they left.

"Come on, we've got a long way before you're up with Naraku."

All Kagome wanted to do was save her family. But the thing is, how was she suppose to do this? The only thing that she knew was to get a job here so that way she'll be safe and save everyone. But that's the hard thing…

It's almost impossible to save them from this spell…

Or at least she thought it was. But she knew that as long as there is a piece of hope of saving them then she will hold it close in her heart. Besides… this Naraku guy can't be that bad right? Right?

***Upstairs***

"Okay, Naraku's on the top floor. That ass thinks he's so special, but don't back down no matter what." Kagome nodded at Sango as her new friend led her through all kinds of corridors and torch-lit passages. She glanced around curiously until they got to an elevator. Kagome looked up but couldn't see the top.

"Come on," Sango said.

Kagome looked in front of her again to saw Sango already standing in the elevator, looking at her expectantly. Kagome quickly ran into the elevator as well and Sango pulled a lever, the elevator moving upwards now.

Kagome looked out of the elevator to see what they were passing until Sango suddenly pulled her back. "Watch it or you might lose a body part."

Kagome's eyes widened and she stayed away from the edge a lot more.

Kagome was walking through the castle. She did have to admit, it was a nice place; even if the place was surrounded by many demons and spirits. But Kagome couldn't get a full view of the castle for she had to stick close to Sango or else she would get caught; and Sango would get into trouble. That of course she didn't want to happen. Sango may seem rough but she was a good person. That was easy to see in her.

Kagome and Sango went from elevator to elevator. But the closer they got to the top, the more afraid Kagome had become. What was going to happen once they got there? Would she get a job? Would she get turned into some kind of animal? Or worse? She didn't even wanna think about that. But if she wants to save Sota and her mom and dad, then she had to do this. No matter how scared she was.

They reached the top of the elevator and Kagome was surprised to see the castle itself, not the top floor. Sango simply dragged her further though, not giving her any time to ask. They passed through a kitchen and Kagome saw the longing look Sango gave the food there. She couldn't help but laugh softly as Sango gave her an indignant look.

"We servants only get two meals a day. You would be hungry too if you cleaned, worked, and cooked food all day and know that you couldn't have any."

Sorry that she laughed, she didn't say anything else as they came to a new elevator. Sango made sure to stand in front of Kagome as someone first came out, making sure she wouldn't be seen, before quickly stepping in as soon as it was empty.

"We're getting there. Man, never knew it was so easy to sneak people through this place." Kagome smiled at the victorious look in Sango's eyes.

Everything was going smoothly; that is until another demon was met. The door opened to reveal a very big demon standing right in front of them. Sango's eyes widened, "Err, welcome!"

The demon grunted and said very politely, "Does this go up to the next floor?"

Sango smiled when she saw who it was. Sango calmly said with a smile, "Sorry Jinenji, but this elevator doesn't go any higher, you have to use a different one." With that said, Sango along with Kagome right behind her, started to walk to the next elevator.

She grabbed Kagome's hand and dragged her along. Kagome glanced behind them to see the demon called Jinenji following them. She whispered to Sango, "He's following us…"

"It's alright. Jinenji may be big but he's kind. He can't bring himself to hurt a fly," whispered Sango. With that said, Kagome had turned her face to face forward, not wanting to worry herself or Sango. Panicking wasn't going to do anyone any good. As soon as they got to the last elevator, Sango had pushed Kagome in, for someone has caught her scent. The doors to the elevator opened and a group of people came out, being led by young child.

"Right this way people. Oh, hey sis!" The boy stopped right in front of Sango and grinned. Sango stepped in front of Kagome to hide her from view once more and now tried to usher her into the elevator as Jinenji stepped in as well.

The boy had started talking to her, saying something like "You smell just like a human? Why is that?"

"Hey, Kohaku, giving tours again?" Kagome glanced back as Sango made sure Kohaku wouldn't notice anything wrong.

"I smell human on you, sister. Where's it coming from?" Kagome could see Sango nervously sweating now. "Come on, why do you smell like that?"

"Is this what you smell maybe?" Sango pulled out a large piece of candy and Kohaku eyes widened, immediately forgetting that she'd smelt human, not candy on Sango.

"Pocky! Give me that!" Sango grinned as she held it out of her brother's reach.

"No way, Kohaku. I stole this out of the kitchen fair and square. It's all mine."

Kohaku made another grab for candy but Sango once more kept it out of reach. "Oh, come on, just a little piece? Please?"

Sango just grinned even wider at the boy before glancing back at the elevator. "If you wanna go up, just pull the lever on your right."

Kagome tried to reach around Jinenji filling most of the elevator, but had trouble grasping it. Kohaku in the mean time continued to beg for just the tiniest bit of the treat Sango was holding up. As Kagome finally managed to pull the lever, she could just see Sango taking a large bite before the doors closed. She chuckled lightly at the thought of the teasing girl. She used to do that all the time with Sota and it made her heart ache.

The elevator went up and Kagome was trying to calm herself; feeling more alone than ever. The doors opened again and for a second Kagome thought Jinenji would step out, but the doors closed again before anything of that sort could happen. Kagome glanced up as the elevator moved again just as he looked down at her. Kagome quickly turned her gaze away again, and began fiddling with her jacket.

They reached yet another floor and Kagome could see this was the top one. Jinenji in front of her stepped out, allowing Kagome to do so as well, before simply stepping back in and taking the elevator down again. Kagome stared after him with a confused look, wondering why he hadn't just gotten out before. He gave her a reassuring smile which she returned.

"Thanks," she mouthed as the doors shut.

She then began looking into the long deserted hallway she was in now. It was a very big hall, but it was a strange hall too. It was surrounded by paintings of gods, demon lords and so on. But the thing that caught her attention the most was a picture of a man that almost looked like Inu.

But this man here, had shorter bangs, and his hair was in a high ponytail. His clothing was different, more elegant while he had armor and three swords at his hip…

Whoever this man was, he must've been a very powerful demon… Then she saw the name tag. "InuTaisho," Kagome read out loud. She knew that the name was familiar, but only the first part of it was. The word "Inu" was very familiar to her; but in more ways than one. What got her the most was the fact that it sounded like she heard that name way before she'd ever met Inu.

Kagome walked away, trying to get to grips on what she was doing. Finally, after walking for a while, Kagome had made it to a huge door.

The only thing missing was a neon sign with 'Naraku' flashing above it and a huge arrow in Kagome's opinion. It really wasn't hard to guess that Naraku would be behind these doors.

She made to push the door open when the door knocker suddenly started to speak. "What? Aren't you going to knock? What's the point in being a knocker if no one bothers to knock?" Kagome stared wide-eyed at the golden door knocker, not knowing whether to be surprised or just stay silent. She was spared the trouble of thinking about it too much as the doors opened, revealing a hallway of more doors that opened.

Kagome heard a very faint voice saying, "Don't just stand there, come in." Kagome hesitantly glanced around her, wondering if this was a trap or not?

"I said, come in." The voice was more forcing now and Kagome felt her body being lifted off the ground and thrust forward. She cried out as she flew through the long hallway, doors closing behind her as she went through. This was the strangest thing she faced so far. But it was better than getting lost for whoever was pulling her, was taking her to where she had wanted to go to. And that was Naraku's office. As she finally entered an office, she was dropped to the ground, hitting the floor quite hard as she fell. She groaned in pain as she stirred a little.

If she wanted to save her family, then she had to do this, those were her only concerns at the moment. Staying alive and not being transformed into some animal and to get her loved ones out in one piece. She would save them no matter what kind of work she was put through.

When her thoughts were done about her resolve, Kagome bit her lip as she quickly stood up and took in the person sitting at the desk. There was demon sitting there, signing some paper work. "Um… excuse me? Are you Naraku?"

He looked up at her. At first glance, he appeared to be human…

He had sickly looking sick, as his black untamed hair was crinkled and tangled all the way to the carpeted floors. His eyes a captive crimson; almost like dried blood on red velvet. Kagome stared at him with fear, his eyes were really giving her the creeps. Especially with the blue eye shadow on his eyelids. Creepy…

He didn't look like a bad person. He had a regality about him Kagome couldn't quite pinpoint. But there was a disgusting aura in the air all around them that was screaming EVIL!

The aura was sending chills up her spine.

All the man said was, "Yes, I am Naraku. And you're the human that the demons have been after, now tell me… How did you get here? You must have had help. Would you tell me who helped you or shall I just get rid of you now?"


	6. You Belong To Me Now

**_Chapter 6: You Belong To Me Now_**

"Excuse me!" Kagome revived. "I was wondering if you could give me a job?" Kagome bowed slightly as she asked again, "Please help me. Please give me one, and I promise that I'll work really hard!"

At this, Naraku person's pen immediately halted in its trail of cursive. He raised a hand and traced a straight line in the air with it. Kagome's lips closed as if it was a zipper.

"MMPH!" Kagome tore at her mouth. "MMMM!"

Naraku chuckled as he watched her struggle, "I do not wish to hear such a stupid request from you. You're just a reeking, useless weakling and this is certainly no place for humans." He dropped the pen, thinned eyes crossing Kagome's.

Naraku laughed a little in his own amusement as Kagome tried to speak but couldn't, "You don't even know where you are do you? We are in the Spirit World. A place were the spirits of all things in your world come. And this castle is where spirits pass through. I rule over this part of the Spirit World. This whole world is a land for the demons and they come here when they wish to make deals with me."

_'Deals?'_ thought Kagome. _'What kind of nut job would make a deal with a guy like this?'_

"It's simple. Demons come here and ask for power. I have the ability to give it to them. They make a deal with me… I gain something priceless… and they gain what they come here for." He looked at her and smirked, "As for you humans; you always make a mess of things. Like your human family, who ate the food of the demons like worthless pigs."

Kagome's mouth worked restlessly to undo the spell as she listened without an 'eep', but her slender body was still quivering.

Naraku twirled a pen in his fingers before he went on. "I am surprised that you were able to resist the temptations of the food. Nonetheless, your family got what they deserved and you should be punished also. Which would you like to be? You're too young to be a piglet," he contemplated before grinning at Kagome who shivered under the gaze and began praying to be anywhere but here."Or maybe you'd prefer to become a demon yourself?"

Kagome stayed silent, inwardly panicking but trying not to show it on the outside as Naraku laughed. She wanted to get out of here, _fast_. But this was the only way to get her family back to normal without getting her turned into anything.

Kagome just held her head high at his sudden cackling.

"I can see you shaking, my dear." Naraku smirked wolfishly while tilting his chin up. Naraku was obviously enjoying himself and Kagome tried to stop the shivers that wrecked her body."To be honest, I'm impressed you made it this far, but I'm sure you had some form of help. Let's thank whoever helped you, shall we?" Naraku's lip twitched. "So just who was it, dear? Why don't you TELL me—" he unzipped her lips with the wave of his finger.

The spell on her mouth was lifted so Kagome could answer the question, but Kagome wasn't planning on answering that in any way. Not only would she be getting Inu, Miroku, and Sango into loads of trouble, this guy in front of her was a pompous bastard. If there was one thing that Kagome hated more than someone turning her family into pigs—it was a bully.

She waited a moment to get the feel of using her lips again before yelling, "PLEASE, will you give me a job?"

Again she felt oddly bold yelling at someone who could easily turn her into an animal or something and easily be done with her, but it felt pretty good at the same time.

Naraku's annoyed fist bashed the table, "DON'T start that again, Wench!"

"Please I just want to work!"

"Don't say _that!_" Naraku hovered out of his chair in rage, papers flying everywhere as he flew to where Kagome was standing and landed right in front of him. Kagome's eyes widened once more and she tried to back away, but was frozen in place by shock and fear.

Naraku looked to be infuriated, for the desk was beginning to tremble and his hair was whirling insanely. The color of the room blackened into a demonic feel as the window drapes and contract sheets scattered against an unusual wind.

Naraku had disappeared, than reappeared in front of Kagome saying, "Me? Give you a job…? Why should I do that? A worthless human like you isn't worth it. Demons rule this world and no human shall be here. Unless you want me to get rid of you, or turn you into an animal than I suggest that you leave now."

Kagome glared at him screaming, "I WANNA WORK! PLEASE GIVE ME A JOB! I'M BEGGING YOU!"

"Why in the hell do you think I should give you a JOB, human?" Naraku stabbed her with his claw-like finger repeatedly.

Kagome took in all his verbal battery as her hair fizzed with every jab, her eyes staring widely forward while he circled her.

"This is MY castle and I don't hire weaklings, so there's no job for YOU, human. Now get out! I've got all lowly servants that I need."

Kagome began to whimper in displeasure as Naraku's breath attacked the flesh on her nick from behind, causing microscopic hairs to stand on end.

"Or maybe…" he suddenly said as if he thought of something. Kagome went even more rigid as Naraku got a sinister smirk on his face. How could this possibly get even worse?

"I'll give you the most difficult job I've got and work you until you breathe your very last…" Naraku's nailed fingers crawled up Kagome's neckline, latching onto the skin of her throat one by one. "BREATH." The last word was said so dangerously, Kagome wanted to just run out of the room and hide in a corner again. Anything but be here with this crazy psycho that obviously wanted her dead.

Before anything further could happen, a ghastly thud quaked along the floors of the room…

The sound of something crashing and then crying was heard and Naraku suddenly looked up as a pinkish-purple light came out of nowhere, creating some kind of barrier around a door at the back. Naraku's eyes widened as the barrier continued growing, and destroying everything that it touched.

A sudden shrill cry sent pangs in both Naraku and Kagome's sensitive ears.

It sounded like… a baby's scream.

"Damn it," Naraku hissed, shoving Kagome out of his way. "You woke up Akago!"

He was by the shredded drapes and busted wall in a flash, trying to quiet the unseeable child. "Akago! Knock it off!" Naraku caught the whiff of Kagome's scent, before he snapped at her, "WHY are you still here, Wench? I told you to LEAVE!"

"I want you to give me a job, please!" Kagome demanded more forcefully than ever.

"HUSH, Wench! You're making things worse!"

Naraku passed through the barrier as if it wasn't even there. "Now, now Akago! Relax! Just go back to sleep!"

He glanced out again as glared at Kagome. "What are you **still** doing here? I told you to get out!"

Kagome bit her lip but refused to move from her spot, "I need a job!"

"Quiet down, like I need any more reason to turn you into a pig!" Naraku once more stuck his head inside the curtains to quiet the baby. More crashes sounded as Naraku dispelled the barrier, telling the child to be quiet. Kagome didn't know what kind of baby could be this destructive, but at the moment, she really didn't care either.

"I'm NOT leaving until you give me a stinking JOB!" Kagome screamed louder. Naraku glared at her, agreeing with her just as long as she would just shut up!

"Okay, OKAY!" Naraku raged at her, face half-covered by the curtain with one eye burning into her meager soul. "Just be QUIET!" With that, he disappeared into the other room.

Kagome stared in shock at her achievement. She'd actually done it? She was getting a job? She didn't know how she did it but she felt pretty proud of herself for managing it.

Things started to quiet down, to Kagome's stunned shock.

But Naraku hadn't returned yet. She sighed out from either relief or impatience before a contract sheet from the mess splattered on the carpet glided over to Kagome. A pen soared to her as soon as she touched the paper and looked at it curiously.

"That's your contract. Sign your name away and I'll put you to work." Naraku suddenly reappeared and was using some kind of magic to rearrange the chaotic clutter of the room. "I'm giving you one chance here. You're lucky that I don't curse my own servants… at least not unless I have a good reason to. But—just so you know. If I hear so much as one little complaint out of you then you'll be joining your family. Got that?"

Kagome pointed to the paper unsurely, "Where do I sign?"

"JUST sign it. Do you want the damned job or not?"

Without another word, Kagome looked around quickly to find somewhere to hold the paper against but couldn't find anything so she simply crouched down to the floor.

Naraku in the mean time was randomly waving his arms as the room cleaned itself up. Kagome only half listened to the muttered complaints Naraku was grumbling. Something about promising everyone work, if they asked for it.

"Can't believe I took that stupid oath. To give a job to anyone who asks. Ridiculous, I can't believe I'm so _nice_ all the time."

Kagome rolled her eyes, thankful that he couldn't see her face. '_For someone who promised to give everyone who asks a job, he sure makes it hard for people to get work. It took me ages and a lot of yelling to get it.'_

She bit her tongue as she signed the contract without any comment.

"Are you DONE yet?" he demanded, sounding annoyed.

Before Kagome could even answer, Naraku had already used magic to make the piece of paper slide from Kagome's palms and winged itself back to Naraku's hand.

"Hmm," Naraku studied the autograph. "So, your name is Kagome, is it?"

"Y-Yes sir." Kagome bobbed her head.

More was muttered under Naraku's breath and Kagome bit her lip to keep silent; she really didn't like this guy.

"Such a lovely name… and also what an unusual name…" Naraku's ominous hand hovered over the fine print, the gravity of his magic peeling off a few letters of her name and replacing them. The letters flew up into his hand as he said with a smirk, "And it belongs to ME now."

"What?" she demanded. She suddenly felt dizzy and she took a step back, trying hard not to puke or fall over.

He wrapped his fingers tightly around the letterings of Kagome's signature, smirking with menace. "You belong to me now. From now on your name will be Kikyo, understood?" Kagome's mind was oddly clouded and yet she was still able to think, _'Kikyo…?' _The name sounded like a ghostly haunt in the back of her mind.

Yet, she knew that she had no choice… so she grit her teeth as she just nodded, trying to shake off the sick feeling. Naraku smirked as Kagome's mind cleared; a very victorious and creepy smirk in Kagome's opinion.

"Answer me, Kikyo!"

"Yes Sir!" said an oddly calm Kagome.

"You called for me?" Kagome glanced aside at hearing the familiar baritone voice. Then the door opened and stood there was Inu, Kagome was smiling inside, even if she was resisting the urge to go over and punch him, before hiding behind him so Naraku couldn't do anymore crazy stuff to her.

If she really could smile she would have. But that would have told Naraku that she got help from Inu and get him in trouble. And that was the last thing she wanted. Kagome mentally sighed and squashed the urge with great disappointment.

Inu repeated, "You called for me?"

"The girl here signed a contract. Give her work, do whatever you want with her, I don't care. Just keep her out of my hair." Kagome's mind drifted off a little at 'whatever you want', getting some very X-rated idea about her and Inu. She shook her head. _'This is no time for crush! You're in the Spirit World and this guy wants you dead! Crushes are __not good right now!'_

Kagome raised her head to look at the boy beside her. _'Inu!'_ she wanted to yell happily, but she was more overthrown by his cold-eyed emotionless stare that he gave her.

"Is that all?" he asked as if bored.

"Yeah, I want you to show our new worker to the other demons. Get someone to show her around will you?" Naraku spiraled a finger around one of his black tress, never cutting his glassy eyes at Inu. "And DON'T go soft on her, Inu. Or I'll gladly send you packing."

"Right," Inu answered robotically. He looked at Kagome with a solemn glint, eyes indifferent as they had been the first time they met, "What's your name, human?" Kagome looked at him in confusion for a second, knowing that he already knew her name, before remembering that Inu also had to pretend like they'd never met before.

Kagome said "Ka- oh… I mean… it's Kikyo…" He nodded and started to walk out of the room,

"Alright, _Kikyo_. Follow me."

With that simple order, Inu led her into the depths of the halls, never walking too close. Inu walked into the elevator at the end of the hall quickly followed by Kagome. Kagome was sure she'd get claustrophobic in this place, but took a deep breath and stepped in. Inu pulled the lever to go down without even so much as a glance at her, and Kagome fiddled with the jacket nervously again, glancing at Inu every few seconds. The older didn't give any signs of even knowing her.

"Ah…Inu…?" she began.

"While we're here, you have to call me Master Inu."

Kagome flinched at the harsh tone in Inu's voice, looking back down while trying to hold back her tears. One of the only people in this world that had been nice to her was now basically telling her to shut up.

He sounded just like them. All of them.

Betrayed, she shrunk back into herself and gazed at her feet…

Why was Inu acting so cold-blooded…? Was he really deceiving her all along?

Inu glanced down shortly, his cold look turning into one of guilt as he saw the crestfallen look on Kagome's face, "If you don't, people will start suspecting something." Kagome immediately looked up to see guilty eyes looking at her. She smiled slightly and the gold in those orbs warmed up again.

He went back to staring at the doors, "If Naraku ever finds out that anyone here has helped you then we would ALL have hell to pay. You must never speak to me in public. And when you do, address me as Master Inu, understood?" Kagome could only nod. This wasn't good at all.

The elevator ride seemed like hours were passing them by as they stood there, side by side, immobilized to say anything to the other.

They reached their destination without another word but in awkward silence. As they stepped out, most of the workers were gathered around them in curiosity. Somehow it had apparently already leaked that a human had been employed. Inu's cold look returned to his face, "Listen up. Kikyo here is going to work here and you'll just have to deal with it."

Protests were heard from everywhere but Inu just glared at all who dared to speak up too loud. "I said, _deal with it!_"

Mutters were still heard but most spirits and demons now stayed quiet. Kagome looked around nervously, "I'll work really hard." No one seemed convinced and mutters of 'just don't put her with us' were now heard. Inu ignored them all.

"I don't care if Naraku gets angry with us," the head chief of the organizers leered.

"We're not taking her in our department," his assistant sharpened.

Inu glared at their arrogant smiles. "She's already under contract."

"What?" both demons were mentally pleading to hear something else.

"She'll stink up the whole place!" yelled out a red-haired woman that looked like she was part cat.

Inu managed to retain a growl from his chest. "The smell will go away after a few days of eating our food so stop whining about it, Shurran. And if she doesn't work hard," he smirked at Kagome. "Get rid of her. Do whatever you want with her."

Kagome couldn't believe her ears! The same guy who risked himself to help her, was suggesting they _'do whatever they want'_ with her?

She tried to look collected and tranquil, but the anger in the squint of her eyes was radiant. However, Inu didn't look at her during her death glare.

A few of the servants seemed to grin and plot amongst themselves.

"Now," Inu took authority over them. "Get BACK to work! Where's SANGO?"

"What?" Sango called as she suddenly appeared in a doorway. Kagome felt better to see another friendly face—though Sango didn't look friendly at the moment. She looked as irritated and cross as everyone else.

Inu said, "Sango! You are to look after Kikyo from now on."

"What? You're giving her to me?" Snickers went all around and agreements sounded from different directions. She stepped forward frowning, pretending that she really didn't like this.

Sango sneered at him before yelling, "Don't you dump her on me!"

"You SAID you always wanted an assistant. And now you've got one."

"That's perfect," the head chiefs guffawed. "Give the girl to Sango."

"Awww, great." Sango cooed sarcastically.

Everyone was already walking away from the scene as Sango continued to glare at everyone around her. As Inu and Sango looked at each other a second later, a silent deal to keep Kagome out of trouble was made between them, before Inu turned and walked away as well.

"KIKYO," Inu jabbed his gruff voice at her. "Get going."

Kagome flinched out of her temperamental state and nodded. "R…Right!" Without a quarrel, she trotted to Sango.

"Why are you always picking on me?" Sango roared at Inu's retreating back. "You owe me one, Inu. You hear me?"

Sango glared around and snorted. Amusement shone in Inu's eyes for a brief second before he hid it. With that he left Kagome in the hands of Sango.

"Keh," he grunted before he disappeared behind the crowd of workers.

"Come on!" Sango called to Kagome before she took Kagome's hand and dragged her off, pretending to everyone around them that she didn't like this one bit, but inwardly she was cheering. Kagome had made it to Naraku and had even gotten a job. Not many were able to pull off something like that considering that Kagome was a human and Naraku couldn't stand humans. Only one other human had ever managed to get a job here, but no one really knew who he or she was. It had been kept all hushed up.

Kagome snuck a glimpse back at Inu. She followed the rhythm of the way his hair floated behind him and the confidence of his walk. That was the Inu she had met. Not this cold-hearted boy with the heart-grating smirk.

Her fluttery eyelashes drooped over her cinnamon eyes.

Kagome hesitantly answered to her commands and skipped after her through the hallway, out of everyone's eye.

They left the busy part of the castle, they didn't say anything else until they reached a serene section of the hallway. Once she was sure that they were far enough out of everyone's hearing range, Sango spun around and exclaimed elatedly to Kagome with a bright smile, "I can't believe you did it! I knew that you had a lot of guts, but you really had me worried."

Kagome smiled a little. She was starting to get confused at all the mood swings everyone around here seemed to have.

"Just stay with me and you should be fine. Let's go!" her tone kind, as if she was speaking to her little sister. "Now stay out of trouble and if you need anything, ask me. Okay?" Sango winked.

As much as Kagome wanted to, she couldn't match Sango's cheerfulness with her own. Instead, she dropped her head, weary lines of tiredness decorating around her eyes.

"Right," Kagome mumbled.

"Hm?" Sango cocked her head. "What's wrong?"

"I just don't… I feel terrible," Kagome swallowed down some rising fluids.

"Come on, we'll go get you your clothes and some sleep after this. You must be exhausted." Kagome could only nod, only now noticing how tired she really felt. There'd been so much going on around her that she simply hadn't had any time to think about how tired she really was.

Sango led Kagome over to a spare room. It was very small and the only things in there were a bed, a table, and a wardrobe. Sango had gone over to the wardrobe and started to get some clothes for Kagome to wear. She gave Kagome a blue cloth for her to tie up her hair with, and an apron before she went looking around for a worker's kimono that would fit her.

"Damn, might be hard to find a kimono that will fit you, Kikyo," Sango said as she tossed a kimono on the floor.

"Huh? Oh, right," Kagome said, forgetting that her new 'name' was Kikyo. That was going to take some getting used to.

Uniform after uniform was pulled out and discarded as Sango found them too big, too small, too ugly, or even ones that didn't go well with Kagome's hair. Kagome didn't say a thing as she watched her go through the entire closet.

Kagome calmly asked, "Um, Sango? You know Inu?"

"What about him?" she asked.

"Well, there aren't two Inu's are there?"

"Two? I can barely stand one of him," she looked at the next kimono, "Nope too small. Anyway some people say that he does Naraku's dirty work. Other than that no one knows what he does."

"Well, what's he like?" Sango glanced down at her with a raised eyebrow, before looking for a fitting uniform again, "He's… alright… I guess. He can be a jerk sometimes, but he does have his good points. But I dunno. To tell you the truth, I think that not even HE knows what he's like. I personally don't mind him. I just try to stay out of his way, you know?"

Kagome nodded slowly. So Inu was supposed to follow every single order Naraku gave him? But… wouldn't that mean that this could've all been ordered by Naraku? That Inu was just being nice to lead her into some sort of trap?

But would Inu really do that? Each time Kagome looked into the other's eyes she could see compassion there, warmth. Not the cold he looked at all the other's with. Could someone really pull something like that off? Inu even looked guilty in the elevator when he saw how cold he was to her…

Her mind was once more in utter chaos. She didn't know if Inu was really being nice to her or just pretending to, and it really bugged her. Okay, so maybe she did have a _'slight'_ crush and maybe her heart wasn't listening to her mind saying it couldn't happen. This really sucked.

Kagome sat down on the ground, utterly depressed and confused once more. Sango on the other hand was grinning as she pulled out a uniform that looked like it would finally have her approval. "Got it! I knew we still had one that would fit," she turned around in triumph but blinked as she saw Kagome so depressed.

She crouched down as well rubbing her back as she asked, "Hey, What's wrong? Do you need something?"

But Kagome didn't answer, just staring at the ground blankly. Sango sighed as silent tears ran over the younger's face. She didn't quite know what was going on, but she figured it was the overload on the girl's emotions. She actually admired the girl for not going completely insane after everything she must've gone through.

"Come on; let's go get some sleep, huh? You'll probably feel better tomorrow."

** (i own nothing. please review!)**


	7. Who am I Really?

**_Chapter 7: Who am I really?_**

The dark-haired girl awoke slowly, dimly aware of the smoky scent of torches in her nose and the cold feeling of wooden floors beneath her body. She lay, motionless, as her mind cleared at an agonizingly slow pace. No matter how dazed she was… she was aware that there was something completely wrong with the picture.

Where was she?

Who was she?

Slowly she sat up, wondering what had happened to her.

She couldn't remember a single thing.

She dragged herself against one of the walls to the place where the shadows were deepest: exactly between two torches, where the pool of light of each faded away into gloom. Immediately after reaching the natural safety of the shadows, she hugged her knees tightly, fear evident on her face.

Something was wrong, and she couldn't even remember what had happened, let alone where she was.

Worst of all, she was alone…

For the first time since regaining consciousness, she realized just how quiet it was. Other than the occasional splutter of a torch and her own ragged breathing, there wasn't a single sound to be heard. She strained her ears, hoping to catch the sound of voices, footsteps, or even whisper of the wind.

There was nothing.

She sighed, biting down on her lip as she struggled to keep from sobbing out loud. There wasn't a single living thing to be seen, or heard, or felt… she was all alone.

Yet above all this, one thought stood out in her mind above the others.

Kikyo.

The name meant everything… though why it was so deathly important, she could not recall. Was there some reason for that word to be emblazoned so strongly in her mind? All she knew was that it wasn't her own name…

But then, what _was_ her name? Who was she? She didn't know… her head felt so foggy.

She shook herself gently, trying to clear her thoughts. There were other things to worry about at the moment. Whatever the name meant, it could wait. Right now, all that mattered was discovering where she was, and why.

Carefully, she looked around to try and learn more about her surroundings. Through the smoky light, it became apparent that she was in a wide corridor of some kind, illuminated only by a few small torches. The wrought iron sconces that held them looked old and stained by the black residue left by the flames, though it was difficult to tell from her present position. However, as her vision became more adjusted to the dim illumination, she caught sight of something that made her gasp.

Further down the corridor, light was visible, though it was somehow different from that of the torches. Perhaps it was even a way out…

She got to her feet using the wall as support and cautiously made her way towards the light. Now that she was actually travelling towards it, she could tell that it was a lot further away than she first thought. She had only traveled a short distance before her vision was beginning to blur…

She collapsed, breathing hard while desperately trying to keep herself upright against the wall. No…she _had_ to make it to the light! She was going to lose her mind if she remained here.

Gathering what little of her strength remained, she struggled to her feet once again and continued to inch her way towards the end of the corridor. Inch by agonizing inch… her eyes were locked on the light. It was the only chance she had… someone could explain what was going on. Someone could help her…

Someone would be there.

She didn't care who… she just wanted someone, anyone by her side. Just so long as she knew that she wouldn't have to be alone in the dark anymore.

The brighter light of the area outside was a harsh change from the flickering illumination of the torches, and the girl squeezed her eyes shut to shield them from the glare. It took her mind a while to register that what she gripped in front of her now was iron instead of stone. However, as soon as she realized that she had reached the end of the seemingly eternal corridor, she was tugging uselessly at the metal grating with her fingers.

She was trapped—looked behind the iron bars that kept her from reaching the light at the end of the hall. Desperately, she continued to alternately tug and pound against the wrought iron with her fists, sharp sobs of desperation wracking her slight frame. Through it all, she was surprised to hear a voice cutting through the otherwise silent corridor, sounding alien and harsh to her ears, until she realized that it was her own, rasping and dry with disuse.

"Please! Someone! Help me!"

She repeated the plea over and over, almost like a hymn. However, there was no answering call from beyond the gate. Finally, she collapsed, too tired and letting despair take over. Her shout became a moan. She struggled to sit up, throwing out a hand to support herself. Tears fell from her eyes.

"Please… someone… anyone…"

This was the Spirit World. There was no escape.

Kikyo's eyes snapped open before she sat bolt upright in her bed. She stared around her room, struggling to remember what had happened to her and where she was.

_*Naraku*_

The rise of daybreak was descending upon the castle.

In the heart of Naraku's castle, he stood at the balcony in a white baboon pelt.

"I trust that I can leave everything to you until I return," the scarlet-eyed man half-smirked over Inu, who dutifully nodded, though there was a hint of hatred in his eyes. "Hmph. Make sure that that impudent human behaves herself. And report to me if she makes one little mistake so I can send her to join her family in the pigpen."

Inu only stared within an unblinking emotionless eye.

"Farewell…" Naraku grumbled as he fitted the head of a blue-muzzled baboon mask over his face. Naraku leaped onto the railing of the balcony and rocketed into mid-air of the mist, supported by nothing more than a cloud of miasma; and gliding earthwards to momentarily push his heel off the crowns of buildings.

Inu silently walked over and shut either slide-door before he headed downstairs.

The thick fogging of morning was slowly evaporating around the castle's land now, but the crickets still continued to sing.

Twittering birds let their early-rise cheeps echo amongst the room of worker women, who, at the moment, were sound asleep.

All except for one…

Kikyo was tucked under her thick layer of blankets, sobbing softly to herself. Her slim body trembling in her curled ball-pose, her eyes wide open and afraid. She whimpered softly, trying desperately to drift-off again but having no luck. She'd gone to bed hours ago and hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. And even the few hours of sleep she **was** able to get, was a horrible nightmare.

She shut her eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but her mind was swimming with confused thoughts about everything that had happened to her, making sleep impossible. She was in a strange world with spirits, currently working in a castle as a servant so she wouldn't be turned into a pig by some power-hungry manic sorcerer.

Her parents and little brother had been turned into pigs and who knew what could happen to her. She could be eaten for all she knew. All she did know was that she needed to find a way to change her family back to normal and get them all home.

Only problem was that she didn't have a clue how.

And then there was the one person plaguing her thoughts most: Inu. Was he really trying to help her? Or was he just following orders from Naraku to lead her into some sort of trap?

She was utterly confused and really didn't know what to do. She just wanted to curl up and stay here, and try to empty her thoughts until she feel into a deep dreamless sleep.

She ended her noise-making quickly though as she heard the door crack open, letting a sliver of light envelope her head. She blinked as the windowing of light seemed to stretch wider across her as the door fully opened.

Kikyo froze for a second. She clenched her eyes tight and tried to stay as silent as possible so whoever just came in would think she was asleep and leave her alone.

Who on earth was coming?

And what for?

She heard footsteps coming closer until she felt a hand on her shoulder and Kikyo froze up even more. She didn't dare to move an inch, straining to keep quiet. But she could barely restrain the nerves to flinch when something caressed her cheek behind the blanket.

"Meet me at the bridge," the handsome voice whispered. "I'll take you to your parents."

It was a hand of warm fingers…

It was…

Before her thoughts could trail on, the hand was gone within a flash, and the light from the door had disappeared. Kikyo had recognized the baritone voice though. As soon as the she heard the door close again she jumped out of bed, trying to stay silent as she looked around for her regular clothes for a second but not finding them. She sighed in annoyance as she quickly put on the worker's clothes Sango had given her last night.

She ran out of the room and into an elevator to go down. She still didn't know whether to trust Inu or not, but the thought of seeing her family—as pigs or not—made her hurry as fast as she could. As she descended all the flights of the castle, she thought that she would just have to trust her golden-eyed dog boy.

Besides, her heart was screaming at her too. If she had to admit to herself, she wanted to see Inu again. She just hoped that she would be able to see the gentle side, not the cold one.

The first panes of sunlight were peering into the castle as she silently made her journey down the last pair of stairs where the elevators were inactive. She migrated to the shrine, her heart filled by eagerness and anxiety.

As she pulled back the tiny door with the quietest of motions, she crawled into the room of the snoring Miroku and hurried over for her shoes.

Wait, where were her shoes?

She stared around in confusion. She definitely remembered leaving them here, so where were they now? "M…My shoes are gone!" she quietly panicked, biting her nails as her eyes rambled left from right.

At that moment, a tiny paper doll's head poked out from over the edge of a mouse hole that she saw last night. It gestured a small arm for the others to emerge as well. But as they did, they carried out her blown shows in a fit of rustling bodies, as if they were operating through a parade.

Kikyo's eyes lightened as they stopped in front of her with her belongings and stepped back.

"Thank you!" she chirped, snuggling her foot into one sneaker and then the other, before tapping her toes onto the ground to wedge her heel all the way in.

The Shikigami followed her until she was at the door, jumping excitedly at the limit of their border. Kikyo glimpsed back at them with confusion reflected off her wide irises, before that confusion turned into delight.

"Thank you!" she cried to them again before she smiled and waved her farewell and then left with a chuckle. She then ran out of the shrine, her happy mood fading to resentment as she was suddenly glaring at the stairs she now had to climb.

She took a deep breath before starting to climb the rotten wooden steps that nearly killed her last night. But to her surprise, she was soon confidently climbing the fatal staircase she had been reduced to crawling down yesterday. She got up without any steps splintering and resisted the urge to point and laugh at the stairs in victory. This of course would've been stupid since the stairs weren't really trying to kill her.

At least Kikyo thought they weren't.

She shaded her eyes with a hand to look over at the isolated island she once came to. With the apprehension mounting in her little heart again, she ventured to the bridge, astonished at how empty it could be, just like the first time she step onto it… right before she had her entire life turned around.

Glad that no one was here to see her meeting with Inu, she jogged out onto the panels of the bridge.

She quickly made her way across, but stopped in her tracks when she saw him sitting there again. When she got up this morning, she didn't know what to expect for the day—but seeing the same little orange fox-demon was definitely not one of them.

The little fox was curled up on the railing, fast asleep. For some reason, she had a strange feeling about him. After all, Inu had said no one could see her when he put that spell on her… and he was right. No one noticed her when they had crossed the bridge together the first time … but the fox had looked her straight in the eye when they passed.

Kikyo gathered the last morsels of her renewed courage and puffed her chest out. She quietly walked past the little fox, trying hard not to make sound so that he wouldn't wake up. As soon as she had snuck passed him, she ran the rest of the way. Once on the other side she turned to look back and see if the fox had woken up, and to her relief, saw that he was still sawing logs.

"About time," spoke a voice behind her.

Kikyo gasped and spun around, thankfully to meet the golden-eyed Inu who had so securely helped her into this world. There was a faint and almost invisible smirk on his face. One that made her internally gulp down all the rising butterflies in her stomach.

"Follow me." The older turned around and started to walk back into the garden they'd passed through when going to the castle. Kikyo swallowed thickly, remember that they'd also gone through a pig-pen at that point, and that that was most likely the place where her family would be in their current state.

Kikyo followed him through the hedges of exotic flowers, but at his quick-pace of merely walking, she found it a little difficult to keep up.

They walked in silence for a while until Inu slowed his pace a little to walk together with Kikyo, "We'll have to hurry." Kikyo nodded, immediately glancing around nervously. No one was around which meant that they were safe for now.

"We don't have much time here," Inu hastily declared as the flower-hedges spread further apart from each other to let them pass between their narrow passages. "If you're found here, you'll be turned into an animal too. You understand right?"

Kikyo simply nodded again. She didn't need anyone to explain that to her.

"Good, you must also never come here without me. It's too dangerous. Understood?" Kikyo nodded once more, her trust towards the other growing a bit more. Inu was once more trying to keep her safe. So far, no traps or anything that would get her into trouble.

Kikyo jogged after him, tired of being spoken to like a toddler. "I understand," she answered sweetly to break the tension in the atmosphere. She wanted so badly to ask him about yesterday, but she figured it would be inappropriate and dismissed it from her memory bank. Inu was here now and that was all the mattered.

Kikyo mentally sighed, Inu was looking out for her and here she was, thinking up conspiracy theories for the other. She felt slightly ashamed of herself but the tiniest bit of apprehension stayed with her.

Roosters' crows found their eardrums to inform them they had arrived to the barnyard without dilemma.

The grunting oinks became louder and louder the closer Kikyo reached the pig-pen. Inu stood at the entrance as she nervously strolled passed him, glancing fearfully up at him.

Kikyo bit her lip before looking at the cage Inu was motioning to. Her eyes widened at seeing two large pigs and a slightly smaller piglet laying there, seemingly more dead than alive. Inu nodded in his approval for her, and she rushed to the gates of the pigpen in a heartbeat.

"Mom, Dad, Sota are you alright? It's me, Kikyo!" the name didn't even sound strange to her even though it was the one she'd gotten from Naraku, not her real one. In fact, her mind only registered the name 'Kikyo' as her own, not remembering any other.

She received no response from the pigs and Kikyo bit her lip, realizing they were locked away in their sleep. "Hey, wake UP! Mom! Dad! Sota!"

Again no response and Kikyo panicked slightly. Where they all sick or something? The ear of one of the pigs made a flapping flutter at her voice, but other than that… nothing.

As Kikyo's heart began to crack, she felt arms slip around her waist and pull her into a hug from behind. Kikyo looked behind her to see sympathetic golden eyes look back at her and the last bit of doubt left her. No one could give a look like that and not mean it.

"What's wrong with them? Are sick or something?" Kikyo leaned back into the hug, looking worriedly at the pigs.

"No," he smirked. "They ate too much; they're sleeping it off."

Kikyo bit her lip, displeased by his information. "Listen," he went on, "I know that you aren't happy about this, but you have to try to remember what they look like. It's up to you to remember which ones they are." Inu's grip tightened slightly and Kikyo suddenly realized in what position she actually was. She was being held by a guy she barely knew, and for some reason it didn't feel strange the slightest bit.

But as she yanked her head back towards the pigpen, she felt tears brewing and ready to fall. She took a deep breath and began to yell at the pigs, "Don't you WORRY, I PROMISE that I'm going to get you all out of here. But if you eat any more you're all going to become dinner!" with that hard yell of frustration, she spun around and began to cry hard into Inu's shirt.

Startled, he was unsure what to do for a moment—but finally he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly as she let the tears fall.

She shifted nervously a bit and Inu must've noticed as her grip loosened, giving Kikyo a chance to get away if she wanted. Kikyo didn't move, though, the embrace felt far too safe for that.

She looked back at the pen for a few more minutes before sighing, "They better not eat too much or they'll eat them." Inu chuckled behind her before unwrapping one arm and using the other to guide Kikyo away from the pig-pen. Kikyo glanced behind her one last time to take in the animal forms of her family, before turning back and focusing on walking wherever Inu was taking her.

_*Outside*_

Inu simply took her into the garden again, letting go so they could sit down in the green, lush grass. Kikyo sat down with a sigh, pulling her knees to her chest as Inu sat down next to her.

Butter-winged butterflies ambled by the boy and girl hiding behind one of the hedges. The sun had fully risen and shed its light on their backs in patches of bathing warmth. Something Kikyo hadn't felt in awhile, now…

The raven-haired teen leaned her head back against the hedges. Inu watched over her, but this time, under understanding and tendered eyes. His hand reached into the front pocket of his kimono. He uncovered a pair of folded clothes and nudged then over to the disheartened Kikyo. "Here are your clothes, keep them somewhere safe so you don't lose them again."

Kikyo lifted a sleepy-eyed face to the material she had barely recognized. In a flurry of shock, she snatched the clothes from his grasp and hugged them tightly. She happily fiddled with the clothes, glad to have them back. "I-I thought they'd been thrown away," she asked wonderingly up at the handsome boy.

Inu's face appeared to grow even softer. "You'll need them if you want to get home."

He rotated his body and knelt down besides her, digging back into his front pouch-pocket.

Kikyo gazed over him for a moment before bringing her intentions back on the clothing. Something in the pocket of her green skirt caught her attention and she pulled it out, revealing the goodbye card her old friends and given her.

"Hey, my card's even still here." She hoisted the parchment closer to her face to read.

_"Dear Kagome, _

_We all hope that you do your best to stay in touch. No matter where you are we'll always be best friends forever! We'll miss you! _

_From, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi."_

She read over the card in confusion, frowning as she read the name over and over again. "Ka…go…me? Kagome…?" Her mind tried to remember the name until her eyes widened, "That's my name! This is…that's my name, isn't it? Kagome, not Kikyo!" she looked up at Inu to see the other smiling.

Inu gave a nod and said, "Names are important. And that's how Naraku controls everyone in his castle, by stealing your name and changing it. Make sure to always hold on to that card and hide it so no one can take it away. As long as you're here though, you'll have to call yourself Kikyo so no one will suspect anything." Inu suddenly gained a faraway look on his face, as if remembering something. Kagome cocked his head to the side thoughtfully.

"I can't believe I forgot my name!" she ranted softly, her eyes round and wide on him. "I can't believe that jerk…!"

Inu tilted his head with a half-smirk at her complete innocence. The grin quickly frowned into a mask of seriousness however and he said, "If you completely forget it, you'll never be able to go home."

Kagome nodded quietly, clutching onto the card. "If that's true… if he controls people by stealing their names… then what's your real name?" Kagome could've sworn she saw Inu flinch at the question ever so slightly, but it was covered up in no time. She wasn't even sure if it had really been there or just her imagination.

A cloud of misery shaded over Inu's face as he looked out into the open gardens, speaking lowly, "I've tried everything to remember mine."

"So… Inu isn't your real name?" Kagome blinked, eyebrows knitted back.

"No, the first part of my name was allowed to be kept. It's the last part that I need, which is the biggest mystery of all. I've tried everything to remember, but I simply can't recall it, no matter what I try,"

Inu looked away at the ground sadly and Kagome felt a pang of guilt at having asked. She hesitantly wrapped an arm around the other, trying to comfort him. Inu looked up at her again, smiling a little at the look in Kagome's eyes. And then, his eyes gleamed with a slight laughing light and said, "But for some reason, I remember yours… Kagome."

Kagome's cheeks fell hostage to the hostile rosy pink. Her name sounded beautiful in his mouth. But either he didn't notice her fluster or didn't care, he immediately turned his smile into his lap to unravel a package of food.

"Don't worry about it. It's really strange though. I can't remember what my name is, but for some reason I remember yours while I can't recall any time we've met before. Like we both met each other somewhere before a long time ago."

Kagome frowned at that but couldn't shake the feeling that they'd indeed known each other from before. Inu looked thoughtful for a moment longer, before snapping out of it and grabbing something else from the bag next to him.

"I brought you some food since I know Naraku isn't one to give that away a lot." Inu chuckled to himself for a second, "Though you picked a good friend in that department, Miroku and Sango are really good at sneaking extra food out."

Kagome laughed a little at that before taking the food offered but not taking a bite, "I'm not really that hungry…" she played with it a little in her hands before Inu took it from her.

"Don't make me force you to eat THIS too, stubborn girl," Inu scoffed. "Keh, I put a spell on it so it'll give you back your strength." He lodged it further into her view. "Just eat it, will you? You'll need it, trust me."

She released a sigh of hectic and caressed the ball out of his hands, diving into it with a hesitant bite. Inu watched her suddenly began wolfing down mounts of food she devoured, her cheeks becoming puffed out and crowded.

As she chewed hungrily, a parade of tears began streaming down her cheeks. She swallowed hard before stuffing the rest in her mouth, her vision completely blurry between the oceans of teary downpour. She couldn't hold it back—she began crying again.

Kagome forced her tears back with her hands, taking more food and shoving one into her mouth, then the other. She began gnawing once more, just to begin weeping even harder than ever before.

Inu's sympathizing smile stretched as he tilted her body further into his to comfort her.

"In-Inu…!" Kagome bawled out his name, dropping the food and clinging to his Haori.

He stared down on the smaller girl in a fit of uncharacteristic blinks before snaking the long-sleeved arm around her back. "C'mon, Kagome. Nothing's gonna happen to you."

"Inu…?" she whined, buried deep into his torso.

His heart beat was waltzing faster. She could feel it.

"Yeah…?"

"Is it… is it ok for me to cry again? Just for a moment. 'Cause I have a feeling that I won't be allowed to do it for a long time."

It took awhile, but Inu's eyelids dropped into fond softness. "Sure, Kagome. Go 'head and…" his arm hugged her a little closer as his voice dropped smoothly into her ear, "Let it all out."

The embrace was tormenting familiar in between all the pain she seeped out of her heart.

Inu wrinkled an eyebrow with an uneasy smile, "Eat the rest. You'll be fine, I promise."

Kagome rested her head on Inu's shoulder. They just sat there for a time, watching the clouds above them go by and listening to birds—Kagome hoped they were birds anyway—sing.

_*Later*_

After some time Inu shifted and Kagome pulled away from him, allowing the other to stand up and hold his hand out for Kagome to take, "You should get back to the castle to get some more sleep before they come to wake you up for work."

Kagome sighed, not really wanting to go but knowing she really did need the sleep for the rest of the day. She accepted the hand and Inu helped her up, before they started walking towards the gate to the garden.

"I gotta get goin' now, Kagome." Inu led her out of the garden, opening the gate for her and stopped right before the bridge. They stood face to face, Inu still standing on the grass of the garden while Kagome stood on the stone of the castle territory.

"Thank you, Inu," Kagome gave a bashful smile, hugging her clothes even tighter into her heart to contain herself. "For everything."

Inu's solemnity fell off the frontier of his face as he allowed himself to blush a little.

"I have to go somewhere for awhile, but don't worry about it, I'll be back as soon as I can. Just try to keep out of trouble okay?" Kagome pouted slightly at the suggestion that she'd get herself into trouble and Inu chuckled, stepping forward and briefly kissed Kagome's forehead before turning and walking away from her.

Kagome's cheeks heated up at the small kiss, suddenly feeling as if the earth moved under her feet. Kagome felt like she was going to explode with happiness and trying to hold back a giggle.

Inu stepped out onto the patio before he looked back at her. "Keh… You humans are such a pain to be with," he muttered playfully.

She felt heat rise up into her cheeks again, but this time in anger. "Watch it pal!" she cried before she turned and ran across the bridge so she was out of Inu's sight before looking back. Kagome glanced around in hopes to wave back at him, but when she turned around, she caught sight of something other than Inu at the opposite end of the bridge.

"I-Inu…?" she whispered softly

She gasped when a giant fluffy-white figure was seen scaling the skies from cloud to cloud. It was the largest white dog that she ever saw in her life… it looked like it could eat her in just one bite. She took a step back… dropping her clothes in the process, not understanding what was happening.

She stared after it, a feeling of dread for some reason creeping up on her again as he watched the demon dog disappear. She couldn't explain how, but for some reason she could feel that that dog was Inu.

"I-Inu's… a… a giant demon dog?"

She stood there for a short time, trying to make some sense of what just happened. Before she gathered up her clothes and ran back towards the shrine.

Once she reached the bottom of the stairs she could feel how tired she really was after everything that had happened in the last hour or so. She yawned as she entered the shrine, the incense only making her more drowsy. After she'd taken off her shoes and socks once more the tiredness took over and she lay down without a second thought, using the bundle of clothes Inu'd given back to her as a pillow.

That's how Miroku found her when the monk woke up later.

Miroku rose from his bundles of blankets with a hand feeling around for his staff. He snorted sleepily and heaved up his head, about get ready for the day before performing an unrehearsed double take.

The raven-haired girl who had so persistently begged him for a job was snuggled up to her clothes against the wood of his uncomfortable floor. The Shikigami were protectively watching over her as she nuzzled her face against her garments, pink streaks still tinged on her cheeks.

Miroku couldn't help but let the tiniest of smiles creep onto his face—though he'd deny to any who asked. Miroku chuckled in amazement before dropping a blanket over her. "Ah… young love."

Miroku simply started up work, trying to stay as silent as possible so Kagome could sleep some more. Sango later came down with breakfast, worried sick, until she saw Kagome sleeping on the floor.

"So this is where she went," she cocked her head to the side in confusion, "I've been looking all over for her. Why is she here?"

Miroku shrugged as he took the bowl of food Sango had brought for him, "No idea, my dear Sango. We both know that Inu was the one who helped her last night. I bet everything I own that she went to go see him."

"But Miroku…" Sango said with raised eyebrows, "Apart from your staff and those clothes you're wearing… you don't own anything."

"I rest my case," Miroku said confidently.

"Where?" Sango asked.

"There," he replied and pointed to a small suitcase stashed underneath a table. Sango punched in him the arm and said, "That has got to be the lamest joke I've heard since your last feeble attempt to make one."

Miroku only smiled at her and said, "I digress. But make sure she stays upstairs next time, or things could end up becoming hard to explain." Sango swatted him playfully, knowing Miroku's bark was far worse than his bite.

As a retort, Miroku simply pulled Sango in his lap and kissed her, making sure the bowl of food wouldn't fall to the ground. Sango eagerly returned the kiss.

Sadly enough for Kagome, that's when she woke up to. Kagome would never look at the two the same way ever again.

(Sorry for taking so long. somethings wrong with the computer again)


	8. Life at the Castle

**_Chapter 8: Life at the Castle_**

Kagome had been working as a servant in the castle for almost two months now. She was getting by, though she had to admit that it wasn't easy. Despite the fact that she never complained, worked hard, and always did what she was told, all the other servants were going out of their way to make things difficult for her.

They kept knocking things over when she was around, they all gave her orders and hard jobs, and worst of all, they were treating her like she was carrying around some kind of deadly disease. They covered their noses and mouths when they walked by her, while most chose to just walk far around or go in the opposite direction.

On top of all that, Naraku only fed all of his servants a bowl of rice, one small fish, and a cup of water twice a day. So she woke up hungry, worked hard all day long with cleaning and other various chores, before going to bed hungry.

"I don't get it," Kagome muttered grudgingly to Sango as they were scrubbing the floors one day. "He has tons of food! We've all seen his kitchens; there are tables full of cooking! So why do we only get the leftovers?"

"Because he needs the food for himself and all the guests that visit him," was her simple answer.

That made sense to Kagome. Almost every single day, (she guessed that she should call them people), came to beg Naraku for either money or power. Most of the time, the ones who came looked almost human—other times…

"Did you see that one guy?" Kagome asked Kohaku once while she helped him chopping wood. "He looked like a cross between a bull and a slug." Kagome developed a strong bond between Sango, who looked out for her as if she was her little sister, and she soon came to love Sango's little brother Kohaku like family.

So far, Kagome had only three friends at the castle besides Inu. The monk Miroku, her new best friend Sango, and Sango's little brother Kohaku.

Kohaku was a very sweet and gentle boy that reminded Kagome so much of Sota that it hurt. But she loved spending time with him and listen to him tell her all the things that he hoped to do once he and Sango earned enough money to leave. He explained how the train came through the Spirit World twice a day, and was the only way that you could leave the castle. But in order to get on the train you needed a ticket and those weren't cheap.

Naraku did pay his servants at the end of every month… of course, the amount was so small that it could take years to save up enough to buy a ticket. Nonetheless, Kohaku remained opstiamtic for most of them, knowing that he Sango and Miroku would all be out of here someday. As for Mirkou, the monk was the same as he was the first time she met him.

Kagome and Sango would go down together to bring food and other supplies that Miroku need to work in the shrine a few times a day and they would all share stories and a few laughs before they all had to go back to work.

Going down there those few times a day were the parts that she enjoyed the most. The Shikigami had grown so fond of her that they always came jumping over to her and started dancing around her feet. For the most part, Miroku was polite and almost bearable as he worked long and hard in the shrine, patiently putting up with whatever Naraku told him to.

She had also found out that Sango was engaged to Miroku and that they intended to marry as soon as they earned enough money to get out of the castle and leave for another part of the Spirit World. They told her that there was a small village that they planned to settle down and try to have a family. Until then, the lovebirds made up for the lost time that they were forced to spend away from each other.

Each morning when she woke up … she would hope that it was all just a dream. That she would wake up safe and sound in her own bed and that her family was all humans. Then she would get up and go to school as if everything was normal and that this had just been one very long and very weird dream.

But one day, she came to a conclusion.

Hoping that this place was just a dream… she was just kidding herself. She had friends now that weren't even human… she was in a place she never knew could exist… and she was now a different person in a world that had nothing to do with her. She was in a foreign world. And she knew that she wasn't going home anytime soon. For now, this was her new reality so she better suck it up and get used to it.

This one particular morning started off with a soft pitter-patter of rain on the windows.

But then quickly turned into a relentless downpour; it rained so much that it became impossible to see anything outside the windows. As Kagome soon found out as she pressed the tips of her fingers into the fogged window to try to see the pig pen where her family was kept. Every morning she let out a small prayer that they were doing all right and that they weren't going to be eaten—a silent promise that she would help them.

But this time, instead of pulling away and getting straight to work, she pushed her button-nose against the glass in an effort to peek up at the sobbing clouds and her thoughts went to a certain someone that she was starting to worry about.

"Oh Inu…" she sighed. "Why aren't you back yet? I know that you said that you would be awhile but it's been 2 months, stupid. And what about Sota and my parents? You said you'd come back to help me. Well—what's taking you so long?"

The raven-haired teen unthinkingly traced directionless lines in the distinct vapor over the window. Her troubled eyes fell alongside a dreary breath. She could just hardly see the little roofs of buildings through then hazy glass from under the curling hairs of her thick eyelashes.

"Inu…" Kagome sighed.

Without her realizing it, he had suddenly appeared in her mind, with his back greeted to her to show off that thick white mane that was blowing around as if caught in a gentle wind. He craned his head, blessing her with the image of his sharp profile.

Kagome's fingers tightened to the fabric that covered her out of control heart. _'Why am I thinking of Inu like this? Why is he suddenly in my head over my family?'_

Twin red spots bloomed across Kagome's cheeks as she couldn't help but envision the exact shade of his gold eyes, the way the sharp ends of his bangs hid fractions of his frowning, full eyebrows away.

Then…

His face softened and he smiled at her.

Kagome thought for sure that her heart stopped.

_"Kagome…"_

_'Kagome? Oh, that's right,'_ Kagome's eyelids fell heavily, spiking a fever within herself. She had gotten so used to the name Kikyo that she sometimes forgot her real name._ 'That's my name, isn't it? Kagome… My name is Kagome…' _

"KIKYO!" yelled a voice in her ear.

'_Kikyo? That's not my name. Who's calling me Kikyo?' _

"What's with you this morning, Kikyo?"

Kagome felt someone shake her back to her senses and she spun around to face the annoyed look on Sango's face.

"You had me really worried, Kikyo," Sango balanced her hands on her hips, visibly irritated. "I've been yelling in your ear for at least 5 minutes but you didn't say or do anything."

"I—what? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just daydreaming," Kagome answered as she leapt up and followed Sango out of the room.

"Yeah, I noticed," Sango said. But then her mood lightened slightly as she asked, "What were you thinking about?"

Kagome looked away nervously, not wanting to tell her friend that she'd been daydreaming about Inu.

"Nothing that you would find interesting," was all she could say. Sango frowned at her and Kagome pointedly ignored her gaze, knowing her eyes were like an open book and Sango would see she was lying.

"You should watch out with where you daydream, you could get into trouble," Sango said. Kagome just nodded, keeping her gaze ahead of her as she kept walking to wherever she was supposed to work right now. A part of her wanted to ask Sango about Inu… but it somehow it didn't seem to be right for a servant to be spending time with the right hand of the boss. No, she wouldn't say anything about Inu in case it got them both into trouble

Wanting to change the subject she asked, "Sango, who's… _Kikyo_?"

Sango blinked a total of three rounds before linking her arms over her chest, "VERY funny, _Kikyo. _You almost had me on a roll there. Now let's stop with the jokes and get down to business already. We've got WORK to do today, or did you forget?"

Sango guided her through the already crowded halls to the room they had to clean. Sango gave her a rag and simply pointed at a bucket of water with soap. Kagome frowned at the primitive way of cleaning but just shrugged it off. It wasn't like she really expected any more advanced cleaning stuff anyway.

Most people kept a close eye on her as she started to clean the floor, obviously having no intent to trusting in a human to get the job done. Most people would've given up long ago, but Kagome was determined to show them she could do something as well as they could. It didn't matter to her that she was only doing this so she wouldn't be turned into a pig. She'd show these spirits and demons what humans were made of.

Sadly enough her body seemed to disagree with her determination and she slipped on the wet floor as she went. Snickers were heard as Kagome got up, cursing to herself about what a complete idiot she must've looked like as she picked up her rag again.

She merely gave everyone around her that was snickering a quick annoyed look—which disappointed her when it didn't faze anyone—before going back to work. She managed to not fall anymore, and in the end mentally stuck her tongue out at everyone around her. There, humans were just as good as these people and Kagome would prove it.

By the time that she finished the room, it was already noon. As she was stretching her sore body, Sango came in. "About time you finished. Gosh Kikyo, haven't you ever worked a day in your LIFE? You go so slow."

Kagome gave her an exasperated look and said, "I was really sick when I was little," she told her. "So sometimes it's hard for my body to keep up."

Now, Kagome always hated having to resort to the whole, 'I was a sick kid so give me a break' line. But she just wanted to get people off her back.

Sango blinked in surprise. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Kagome admitted. "I was really sick until I was about… 6 I think it was?" And she went into the whole story about how she spent the first 6 years of her life trapped in her house or at a hospital. She explained the kind of sickness that she had and how she longed to leave the house and to go out to play with other kids. She then explained how after her house burned down one night that she somehow got better.

"Just like that?" Sango asked. "But how? And how did you get out of the burning house?"

Kagome could only shrug. "I don't know. It's a mystery to me too. I don't remember that night so well… but I do remember that I was in somebody's arms."

"Who?"

"I don't know," Kagome repeated herself. "I really don't know who it was. It felt like—I know this sounds stupid—but it felt like I was in the arms of a living shadow."

"A living shadow?" Sango repeated. "Even here in the Spirit World, there's no such thing as a living shadow."

"I thought so. But… I'm just telling you what it felt like. The person moved through the dark—just appearing and disappearing—it felt like he was the shadows."

"Oh! It was a he?" Sango asked excitedly.

"It's nothing like that," Kagome retorted. "I just remember somebody holding onto me tightly and running through the night so fast that it felt like flying."

"That sounds so romantic," Sango said dreamily. "I wish that someone would hold onto me and carry me like that."

"I was 6 years old!" Kagome said loudly.

"I know," Sango said. "I'm just saying that it sounds like one magical night!"

Just when Kagome was about to give her a remark, one of the toad-like managers came trudging by.

"Kikyo and Sango," he said when flipped through his book of arrangements. "You get the Purification Room today."

"Wha-? You have GOT to be joking!" Sango's face sneered up into disgust. "That's frog work, Jaken! So you should be the one to clean it!"

"Orders from Lord Naraku himself," the toad badgered. "Now stop your insolence and do as you're told, woman!"

Kagome looked back and forth between the two. She censored a giggle at Sango's threatening growls and then Jaken's uproarious sprint to avoid her fury.

As the bucket of water had become too dirty to use and they were done with the floor anyway, Kagome decided that it would be safest to leave the two their argument, and dump out her bucket. Kagome quickly took it and walked over to one of the doors leading outside; rain was pouring down harshly and Kagome was quite happy not to be out there. Her mind briefly turned to her family but she pushed it aside, assuming they would be safe in their pen.

She took her wooden bucket and dumped over the edge outside; but as she did, she noticed that there was someone else in the garden. She looked up to see that it was the little fox-demon that she saw on the bridge. She hadn't seen him since Inu left…

The little cute fox was looking at her with such sad eyes that she wanted to run out there and pull him into a tight hug. But she didn't. Kagome still didn't quite trust the other.

Nonetheless, the kit was getting soaked in the rain and Kagome didn't want him to get sick—assuming demons could even get sick in the first place. She nervously smiled, calming herself down as much as she could, "Hello? You must be soaked. Do you want to come in?"

She got no response as the fox just kept staring at her.

"Kikyo, hurry it up!"

"C-Coming, Sango!" Kagome shouted back and stood from the doors. "I'll leave the door open for you if you want to come in okay?" She quickly turned and went back to her friend, but leaving the little fox out there still didn't seem right to her.

(The little fox poked his head around the door, making sure that no one else was around, and then went scampering down one of the halls.)

She didn't look back to see if the other came in or not, but she had a feeling the fox had. She tried to ignore the feeling though as she continued her chores.

_*Later*_

Kagome and Sango walked down the aisles to their destination, loaded with mops, buckets, rags, and for some strange reason—old scrolls for dealing with demonic auras. "Uhm… Sango?" Kagome asked, "What's the Purification Room?" Sango didn't say another word as she grabbed Kagome's arm and started to pull her into a, to Kagome, random direction.

When they arrived at the dark room, a ruby-eyed woman was waiting for them.

"Naraku wants this room purified in one hour, so you might want to hurry," she flagged her fan to disguise a cunning, red-lipped smile. "I, especially, expect it to be finished by then."

"We could get it done a lot faster if you weren't here, Kagura," Sango pointed out.

Kagome looked over Sango's shoulder to get a better look at the inhuman woman.

"Then on with it already, peasants," Kagura elbowed Sango out of the path, strutting back into the throng.

"Who was that and what was her problem?" Kagome tugged on Sango's sleeve like a little sister.

"Kagura," Sango tied up her hair into a tall ponytail. "She's Naraku's personal assistant. But to us, she's bile. Anyway, let's get this room cleaned. We only use this room when the guests have a demonic aura so potent that there's no way that Naraku can deal with them until the evil's been purified, as you can see."

Kagome's eyes widened when she saw the room. A huge room that slashes, that looked like they belonged to claws, where everywhere. Grime covered the walls as the floor around it was also covered in dirt. Kagome stared at it wide-eyed, suddenly understanding Sango's disdain when the toad had told them about the room.

Kagome had to admit that it looked rather pointless to try and purify the room, but an order was an order. She'd promised Inu she would try her hardest and so she would.

They started, Kagome feeling slightly nauseous as she did what Sango instructed and tried to clear all the grime and sludge away, while at the same time, try to remove the thick demonic aura that filled the place with the scrolls incantations. The two worked frantically on the disgusting room; Sango pulled a face as she looked over the amount of sludge and grim on the walls while Kagome went back to work cleaning the floors.

Sango muttered soft curses behind her, obviously not liking this any better than she did, and maybe even less. Kagome sighed before looking behind her as Sango stomped on the bottom of the tub in frustration. "This will take weeks to cleanse, just look at it!" Sango cried frustrated.

At that moment, Kagura came in. "Sango, Kikyo," Kagura leaned up against the door while examining her fingernails. "You've got a guest on the way."

"WHAT?" Sango roared.

"You heard me," Kagura said still not looking up from her nails.

"HEY WAIT! Give us a minute!" Sango screamed as she threw down the rag in a first sign of exploded rage. "This is CLEARLY harassment, URGH! Kikyo I need you to do something!"

Kagome straightened up. "What is it?"

"There's no use, there is no possible way that we can get this room purified today. What we need is a Sacred Sutra or we'll never get is to look even acceptable!" Kagome cocked her head in confusion, "A what?"

"Just go to the foreman and ask for a Sacred Sutra okay? He'll know what to give you." Kagome nodded before walking out of the room, wondering where the foreman actually was, and therefore where she was supposed to go to now.

"Hey, S-Sango?"

"What is it now?"

"…What's a foreman?"

_*Naraku*_

"Hm," Naraku's scarlet eyes evaluated his collection of diamonds and jewels. "One more jewel to complete the rest."

"Naraku?" an albino child suddenly spoke up from the corner of the room. A little girl, dressed all in white with long white hair and pasty white skin came walking over to him carrying a mirror.

"What?" Naraku asked coolly.

"Something's coming," the child informed him.

"Kanna," Naraku's leering smirk never dimmed under the lamp lights. "I know all and see all. No need to test my intelli…"

Kanna's black eyes were as emotionless as ever, and Naraku knew that it was pointless to try to tell her off.

Naraku went back to his work before he suddenly frowned and his pen lingered over the papers he was signing. He could feel something coming, something that wasn't good.

He looked up, his eyes scanning the room around him for any sign of danger before standing up and walking over to the window, watching as the rain pounded on the houses outside. He frowned once more. "What scum hides in this dark weather?"

He could feel the disturbance coming from somewhere close and he wondered if whatever was causing this sensation might already be inside. Maybe there was an intruder or something?

"Something's coming," Naraku repeated, thrusting open his windows and sniffing the soggy air scented by the rainwater.

_*Kagome*_

"I can't waste a Sutra on you, human! No matter what kind!" Jaken vented, giving away Surtas to a beautiful young woman. "And don't even think of trying to trick me either; your graceless charm is trampled by the beauty of THESE young women, anyhow."

_'Ok, so now I'm not only a human, he's saying I'm ugly?' _Kagome fought to hold back her temper, "But I was told it we need a Sutra for the Purification Room!"

"Well that's too bad, isn't it? Now, purify it yourself!" The foreman went right back to his cheerful, flirtatious self. "Ah, you need a Sutra for the east wing? One Sutra, m'lady." Jaken continued passing out Sutras to the others, unaware of the lurking fox demon materializing beside him from thin air itself.

"What are you still doing here?" Jaken snapped at her. "I said no! Now scram and use your hands or something."

"But I was told to go and get a Sutra," Kagome repeated stubbornly. Jaken merely snorted at her and gave her a downgrading look. That's when Kagome knew for certain that she wasn't getting the Sutra she needed because she was a human. She was really getting sick and tired of this treatment, but there was nothing she could do.

"Well that's too bad, you're not getting any. Now go back and get that room ready!" Kagome stared in pure disbelief at the ugly little toad who simply continued to hand out Sutras, now completely ignoring her.

She was about to give up and trudge back to Sango with the bad news when suddenly she noticed the little fox she'd seen earlier somehow sitting right behind Jaken. It was like he'd just suddenly appeared there and he was, while holding up a Sutra, looking at her questioningly as if asking if she wanted it.

The fox smiled at her brightly.

Kagome smiled back ever so slightly, hoping the foreman wouldn't see the strange behavior and question her about it. Sadly, the foreman did notice, frowning and looking behind him to see what Kagome was staring at. The fox faded away again and the foreman couldn't see anything. The floating Sutra didn't even seem to register with him.

Jaken was about to tell Kagome once more to go away when the phone rang. Jaken answered the phone and barked, "Who is this? I'm busy!" Suddenly, his eyes widened and he began begging for mercy. "Master N-n-naraku! I'm so sorry I thought that you were that idiot Nobunaga again and I…"

As Jaken looked away, the Sutra was thrown at Kagome. Jaken's eyes widened as he saw Kagome catch the Sutra, with a bright smile on her face. Jaken had no idea what had just happened but somehow the human wench had gotten her hands on one of their best Sutras.

Kagome of course didn't stick around to hear Jaken's reaction to this. She wasn't stupid enough to believe that Jaken would let her keep it if she stayed too long. "Thank you very much!" she chimed and rocketed off into the crowds.

She quickly ran back to Sango, ignoring the shouted protests behind her.

_*Jaken*_

"Wha-wha! HEY! Get back here, you!" Jaken pointed furiously. Kagome was out of sight and he still stared in disbelief. How had the girl gotten that Sutra? There was no one else here to give it to her.

"WHAT'S going on?"

Jaken quickly concentrated back on the phone call as Naraku's impatient voice came through the phone. Jaken turned back to the phone, "U-Uh, nothing Lord Naraku! Everything's fine! Is something the matter?" Naraku on the other end narrowed his eyes as he stared outside, his senses going haywire.

"We have an intruder."

"I-is it another human?"

"I'm not quite sure. It's your job to figure that part out, so _figure it out!_" The phone was slammed back down and Naraku glared. This was going to be a long day, he could just feel it.

_*Kagome*_

"Wow Kikyo, you got a really good one off that ugly little toad," Sango grinned at the Sutra Kagome handed her, "He's usually too much of a prick to give me anything, let alone one like this." Kagome stayed silent about the fact that she really hadn't gotten it from Jaken, but some adorable fox that for some reason, only she noticed.

Sango walked to the far side of the wall and placed the Sutra right in the center.

"Okay, you just place it on the wall like this." Kagome was reminded of the Sutras falling from the ceiling when she'd gone to Miroku for work, and suddenly understood what they had been.

"And then we just wait and Miroku'll take care of the rest." Sango stood back and Kagome looked after it curiously, trying to remember what Sango had just done because she might have to do it later on. Who knew how long she was really going to be in this world?

"Now, once Miroku realizes that the Sutra was placed here, he'll use some spiritual power to speed up the purification process. Easy enough, and good to know when you want to finish work quickly."

Before either of them said anything else, a strange white mist began to cover the floor. Kagome let out a small shriek as she jumped back, Sango laughed and told her to relax, that this was supposed to happen.

"It's alright! This is some of Miroku's spiritual powers! It's helping to get rid of the dark aura."

More of the white mist began to spread, until it covered every trace of the room. "Yuck!" Kagome protected her nostrils. "What's this smell, Sango? Isn't spiritual power supposed to smell better? What's in it?" Sango chuckled at her question.

"It's supposed to… but this is Miroku we're talking about," Sango elucidated like it were the most fascinating topic. "I'm gonna go get us some lunch, so just pull off the Sutra when the demonic aura is gone and everything will be okay." She hopped off the tub's shell and glimpsed back at Kagome, who was waiting patiently next to the wall. "You can relax for once, you know? Shesh."

Kagome nodded as Sango walked out of the room, a wide mischievous grin on her face. Kagome had the distinct feeling that Sango would be bringing more than their normal lunch.

Kagome just shook her head, a small smile on her face. She watched the white mist for a while until she felt eyes on her once more. She didn't want to turn around, already knowing who was watching her, but she knew she'd have to send him away.

Kagome turned around to see the little fox she'd expected to see standing there. Although the cute thing had helped her, Kagome still felt unsure about him. There was just something off about the guy.

The fox leapt across the floor and stopped right in front of her. "You again. I'm sorry," she told the fox. "The room isn't done yet."

Instead of speaking, he outstretched his arms and revealed to her a stack of Sutras. Kagome stared at them for a second before looking back at the small demon.

"There's so many," Kagome smiled dumbly in lack of what to say.

"Ah, huh," he clucked while shuffling the Sutras and offering them closer to her.

"What? They're all for me?"

"Ah, huh," he nodded excitedly, urging her further.

"Thank you, but I don't need any," she said kindly. The fox pushed his hands forward a couple of times, a few small sighs leaving his throat to emphasize the fact that he wanted Kagome to take the Sutras, obviously too shy to speak. Kagome simply shook her head. "I really don't need any more."

The fox stared for a moment longer as he drew back slightly. "I'm sorry," Kagome said, her eyes were big and pitying. "But I really did only need one!"

Kagome thought she saw a disappointed look on the other's face but she really couldn't be sure. The fox gave turn slightly red before saying quietly, "My name's Shippo." And just like that, he faded away in a puff of pink smoke with a tiny 'pop', dropping the Sutras to the ground.

Kagome stared at the spot that the fox—Shippo—had been, not understanding what was going on, until the aura of the room returned to normal, signaling that she had to remove the Sutra on the wall.

As soon as she took it down, the Sutra turned to ash in her hand and fell to the floor in little pieces. Barely surprised, she shook her head before picking up the dropped Sutras and walking to a basket to put them in. If she was going to keep them, she might as well put them somewhere she could find them easily.

_*A few minutes later*_

_*Jaken*_

"M'Lord! M'Lord! M'LORD!" Jaken sped around like a lunatic, flailing his arms.

"Jaken!"

The midget frog sprang into joy to see Naraku calmly making his appearance into the entrance of the castle with Kagura.

"M'Lord! It appears to be—"

"A demon and an extra foul one at that," Kagura finished for him.

"Mind your PLACE, woman!" Jaken threatened her with his two-headed staff.

"Is that so?" Kagura bent down to the small toad and whisked him off his feet by the collar of his clothes. "Then why don't you do something useful and get rid of the menace!" she flung him outside into the rain with the other worker-toads who were struggling to hold off the heap of sludge slugging onto the bridge. To no avail, it seemed, as the protests didn't stop, and the dark aura was getting closer.

Naraku's eyes narrowed as he looked at the demon suspiciously. "Something's not right, that doesn't seem like any ordinarily demon to me. But we have no choice though, let's just go greet him and purify him already so we can get him out of here as fast as we can."

"Don't tell me your nose bailed on you already, Naraku," Kagura hissed.

"Be quiet," Naraku balled his fingers into his palm, "and greet him in."

Panic ensued in the castle and Kagome looked curiously as everyone ran around, not understanding what was going on. One of the workers ran up to her, "Kikyo, Naraku wants to see you right away! He's in the lobby."

Kagome nodded and quickly ran to the lobby. Naraku was waiting for her there, scowling and obviously annoyed. Kagome swallowed as she approached her boss. "You called for me, Sir?" Kagome saluted him.

Naraku slicked back his wrinkled waves of hair in frustration, muttering something about 'humans'. "Yes, there's a guest here for the Purification Room and I want you to help. _Don't_ screw this up. Take this guest back to the room and take care of him, understand?"

Kagome's eyes widened. She'd never purified anything before, let alone a demon. And Sango still hadn't returned so what was she supposed to do? "B…But I—"

"NO, buts, wench," Naraku straightened a finger. "Now if I were you, I would be smart and do as I'm told."

"I know but…" Kagome began again.

"No 'but's or I'll turn you into coal you ungrateful little-" the rest of his sentence was cut short as screams sounded and warnings that the demon had finally arrived. Naraku quickly turned around to play the perfect host, instead of threatening and insulting Kagome. Everyone else around them ran away as far as they could.

"M-M'Lord! H-He's HERE!"

They didn't need Jaken to tell them that. The demonic aura that the demon was creating gave away how close he was, and Kagome began to rug her arms as goosebumps began to sprout. Kagome's russet eyes lapped over to the footed muck that stepped forward from underneath the bottom of the entrance cloth, followed by the left foot.

The raven haired human's ebony curls frizzled up as her body rose with horrendous reek of filth and polluted air.

"Ack, DISGUSTING!" Jaken waved the sleeve of his robe to fan away the scent, stepping back with the other blue-faced workers.

A vein clutched the flesh in the side of Naraku's nose in response to the aura and sudden miasma casting around them. He strained a snarl at Kagome's offensive gesture of rapping her arms around herself.

Her face was contorted in disgust but Naraku slapped her hands away, "Keep your hands down or you'll insult our guest." His voice was strained and his face didn't look that different from Kagome's. Kagome kept her hands down, though the aura was nearly unbearable.

A huge mass of sludge slithered up to them and Kagome wondered how something like this could even exist. It really looked like a pile of mud of the dirtiest kind ever to her. Naraku tried to smile at his guest, but failed miserably. The sludge-molded creature granted his way into the castle, vacant and droopy eyes half-blinded by the oozing of decaying slush. It looked to be in the shape of some type of animal, perhaps an elk or horse.

"A guest, welcome to my castle," Naraku said in his usual cold manner, but his eyes that were full of revulsion gave away just how disgusted he was.

The demon held his hand—or at least Kagome thought that it was a hand—out and Naraku's eyes lit up slightly.

"Money! Do your job and take the money, Kikyo." Kagome mentally glared at Naraku. If it hadn't been for the atrocious miasma and the putrid sensation sickening her inners, Kagome would've laughed at Naraku and told him to get it himself.

He was obviously just trying to avoid getting dirty while still getting his hands on the money.

Nonetheless she held her hands out to take the money, and the demon deposited it. Kagome's flesh crawled and she regretfully peeled open her palms and fought not the throw-up once the disgusting sensation of filth-coated coins sloshed over her trembling fingers. An infestation of nerve-wracking chills shriveled up her body, sending a brief electrocution to her scalp.

But despite all of this, she managed to stay silent.

"Don't keep him waiting!" Naraku barked. "I can't make a deal with him until you take him to the Purification Room. SO GET GOING!" Kagome once more mentally glared. If Naraku wanted the money so bad he should wash the guy himself, not make others to it and still scold them.

Kagome staggeringly led the murky guest to the halls almost unconsciously as slime oozed out of his pores and flooded the passages. Along the way, she put the money on some random counter just to be rid of it.

Sango shoved between the swarm of shivering workers with two bowls of food, oblivious to the dreaded horror around her. She spotted Kagome tip-toeing her way past the corner of the room's wall and cried out for her, "Kikyo! Wh…Where are you-…"

The dreaded horror finally filtered hit her senses. A wave of blue dusted over her cheeks as she held her breath, only to let it escape in an action of anger as the food in her bowls shriveled into rotten brown.

"Hey, o-our lunch!" Sango shook.

"What are you all standing around here for? Open the WINDOWS!" Kagura shouted as she skimmed through the halls of the upper balcony, fanning herself madly.

Naraku's leant over the handrail beside Kanna to oversee Kagome from a safe height and watched as she reached the room that Kagome and Sango worked so hard to try to purify. The demon oozed forward until he entered the room, covering the floor and walls in muddy swamp-like water. Kagome was disgusted but just bit her lip and tried to think of what to do next as she lurched into the farthest corner of the room to try to keep herself from getting into the filth.

Within one quarter of a second, waves of the gunk started to overflow the angles of the room, washing over Kagome in the process. She guarded her basket of Sutras that Shippo had presented her and fought not to skid into the now-slimy surfs slime.

After a few minutes, for some reason, the demon didn't seem to becoming purified to her—the demon must've realized this as well because his saliva-dribbling mouth slacked as he examined himself in distress. He looked over to a slime-covered Kagome, and grumbled out a vague demand.

She stared at him for a confused moment before her breath hitched back up.

"Oh!" Kagome brought her eyes up and down from her basket of Sutras to the demon, "J-Just a minute, this won't take long!"

She then rummaged her way through the good 3 feet of drying muck that had now covered every inch of her body.

Naraku chuckled evilly to himself at Kagome's dirty appearance, "Disgusting."


	9. A Gift of Herbs

**_Chapter 9: _****_A Gift of Herbs_**

After a few minutes, for some reason, the demon didn't seem to becoming purified to her—he must've realized this as well because his saliva-dribbling mouth slacked as he examined himself in distress. He looked over to a slime-covered Kagome, and grumbled out a vague demand.

She stared at him for a confused moment before her breath hitched back up.

"Oh!" Kagome brought her eyes up and down from her basket of Sutras to the demon, "J-Just a minute, this won't take long!"

She then rummaged her way through a good 3 feet of drying mud that had now covered every inch of her body.

From above them Naraku looked at the scene, grinning wickedly. If Kagome screwed this up he'd have the perfect excuse to turn her into a pig or even a lump of coal.

Naraku chuckled evilly to himself at Kagome's dirty appearance, "Disgusting."

"I don't think it's very funny," one of his assistants opinionated next to him. "She's actually pretty tough."

"Silence," Naraku's fingers curled into a fist against the banister. "The fact that she's human classifies what she is, and 'tough' isn't in the job description. Now let's see what the wench does next, shall we?"

He watched as Kagome trudged through the thick mud, trying to get to the farthest wall to place a Sutra. Jaken—who was standing next to Naraku—began to scowl.

"She's going to have the monk purify the air again!" Naraku not that he cared, he was very amused by what was going on until he saw Kagome trying to place one of their best Sutras on the wall. The Sutra slipped from her muddy fingers and fell into the filth below; gritting her teeth Kagome simply took another one from a basket standing next to her. Naraku glared down at her.

Kagura accompanied Naraku's side, along with Jaken, "And she's dropping Sutras in the process—wait, who the hell gave her all those Purification Sutras?" she snarled over Jaken's short stature.

"How many have you given her?" Naraku yelled at him. Jaken next to him stared in disbelief.

"D… D-Don't lookit me! I didn't do it!"

Kagome, in the mean time, tried to make it back to the doorway so she could pull be out of way of anymore muck that might come flying at her. She just hoped that the one Sutra will be enough to at least clean the demon partly. She forced her tired body far from the wall, slipping and aching all the while, but held fast to the determination that wrapped her eyes.

A smoggy exhale of eagerness escaped from the smelly beast's mouth and misted over her face as she passed by. She dropped her chin her vision going blurry for a minute before regaining her shivering limbs and reaching the door.

There was no way she would be able to do anything as long as the other was in this state.

On the other hand, Kagome had a feeling that this was the normal way to look for a demon like this one.

Some of the other servant's eyes gleamed with fascination and admiration, "Lookit 'er go!"

"Come on girl!"

"You can do it!"

"Hmph," Naraku's eyes went in tight.

After she'd finally made her way through the disgusting water she gritted her teeth as the room began to fill with the white mist that she recognized as Miroku's handiwork. She was sure the flow of sudden energy would try to wash her away, so she had to hold onto the doorframe. Kagome held on as tightly as she could as the force of the demonic aura began to clash with the sacred aura and crashed down on her, almost making her lose her grip. She tried to feel around with one hand for something that would give her a better hold, until she accidentally slipped and feel in the sludge surrounding the demon.

Purifying light came tumbling down over the demon's large head until the aura swelled over the ledge of the concave room and reeled along the wooden floors out into the hallway like a grotesque ocean of quagmire seas.

"Oh no!" yelled one of the servants. "She fell in!"

"Damn that human," Kagura reviled. "That's our best Sutra she's wasting!"

Naraku didn't even express any anger, but simply watched in degrading interest. Despite the blinding condensation that coiled to the ceiling of the castle, he could specifically pinpoint the squirming body through the uncertain waters.

"She'll drown," Naraku concluded, an unconcerned expression marring his attractive face.

The demon's tentacle elongated itself and curled around Kagome's ankle, hauling her out of the flowing veins of muck. He held her to his hollow eyes; she looked half-dead. He then caressed her to his side as the purifying mist rushed and shrouded over his mucked body.

Kagome's heavy eyelids unpeeled to let the smart of water skulk into her blurred eyes. Her head was against something solid and slimy.

Kagome blinked under the sludge and fought for air. The first impact of the grime was now gone and Kagome could now stand. "Huh…?" she edged her body away from the side of the demon and mindfully forced her fingers between the currents of goo flow.

She looked, surprised at the hard object completely hidden in the sludge and felt for it, trying to see what it was but to no avail. Kagome searched for the obstacle that had poked her until her persistent fingers eventually brushed it.

"Hey, she's still alive!" Jaken's childlike voice spiked with uplift.

"Kikyo!" Sango's voice called as she splashed into the flooded room bare-footed. "Kikyo, what's going on? Are you alright?"

Kagome looked around to see Sango running into the room with a panicked expression on her face. "D-Don't worry, stay right where you are! I've come to help you!" Sango wrapped a sash around her nose to shelter her from fainting from the demon's body odor. "It's gonna be fine, don't worry, Kikyo! I won't let him hurt you!"

"I'm fine, Sango!" Kagome certified back, still holding strongly onto the object she ascertained.

The fire in her eyes was flattering and almost comforting, but it didn't disperse the concern that had barked itself in Kagome's almond eyes.

"No, Sango! I'm alright, but I think he has a sword in his side or something. He needs help!" In all honesty Kagome really didn't know what the hard thing was, but she had to say something. Kagome applied a ripple of pressure into her muscles and jerked on said object to prove her theory.

"A sword?" Sango's eyes shot into wideness.

"I think so and it won't come out!" Kagome's childish tone scalded.

Above them Naraku narrowed his eyes even more. "A sword? Ghe, no way." He turned to Jaken, "Jaken! Get the staff down there, now!" His order left no room for debate and Jaken quickly ran to get everyone down. In the mean time Naraku jumped over the rail of the floor he was standing on, landing in mid-air supported by nothing but his own miasma just above the water so he wouldn't get dirty.

Jaken on the other hand was running around in circles, "Y-Y-You all heard the Lord! MOVE IT!"

Naraku pivoted his blaring eyes to Kagura, "That includes YOU, Kagura. Now get down there and HELP that pathetic girl!"

Kagura sizzled at his coarseness, but unenthusiastically coasted earthwards to meet Sango and Kagome, "Listen up, ingrates!"

Kagome and Sango whipped their heads around to the Naraku.

"Listen, that's no ordinary demon we have on our hands," he clapped his hands and dark swirling magic appeared between his palms, forming a rope before materializing completely. Naraku threw one end of the rope to Kagome. "Fasten that rope to whatever it is that's in him!"

"Right!" Kagome caught the rope and quickly started to tie it around the hard object. Sango was making sure she wouldn't wash away as the rest of the staff entered the room, trudging through the water to get to them.

The younger human girl leaned back into the bulky body and attempted to tie the wry rope onto the thorn-like item protruding out of the demon's side. Trembling with anxiety, the rope continued to slip off the object countless times and Kagome's nerves were budding rickety.

"What's taking you?" Sango reached in to lend aid to Kagome and with a firmed hand, began binding the rope to the thorn. "Hold on tight and don't let go just yet."

"Got it!" Kagome nodded, subdued in the waste that inundated into her mouth.

"Get in there, everyone!" Jaken assembled the staff to take their positions on the other end of the rope.

Kagome was finally able to get the rope tied on to the object and looked up at Naraku, "Got it!" Kagome endorsed. Naraku nodded, a glare still on his face and his aura radiating suspicion.

"Good, everyone hold on to that rope and pull on my mark! EVERYONE!" cried Jaken who perked himself on a pedestal, stealing Kagura's fans from her, "On my command! And, PULL!"

"Pull you mangy weaklings!" Naraku roared as everyone continued to pull, some grunting at the effort they had to put in.

"Pull!" The staff heaved back with all their might in numbers, Sango and Kagome at the head of it.

"Pull!" The customers roared with ecstasy.

"Come out!" Kagome gave the rope one last final tug of settled strength before a sudden watery gush of mud spurted out along with the object. Kagome slowly saw whatever was in the demon's body coming out, though she still couldn't make out what it was exactly until they'd pulled it out completely. "A b-boomerang?" Kagome looked confusedly at the giant boomerang-shaped bone before noticing that there was more attached to it that was still stuck in the sludge.

"That's what I thought," Naraku, still above them all, smirked.

"Heave, Kikyo, heave ho!" Kohaku's voice shouted from somewhere behind them.

Kagome pulled on the boomerang and beget a mudslide of obstacles to discharge out of the demon's side in a colossal heap of debris. "What in the—AAAHHH!" Sango scurried out of the way of excessive tangled trash while Kagome braced herself. Slowly they pulled out more items – Kagome didn't even bother looking at what they were exactly, too much concentrated on pulling – until they all fell back, Kagome, surprisingly, being the only one still standing.

Kagome climbed up the edge to pull out the last thing that was still in the sludge, which looked like a fishing line, that had stayed wedged in the demon's backside until it pulled free and a popping sound was heard as wind suddenly escaped the sludge covered body. A spray of airy grime ejaculated and the mountainous demon's body evaporated under a thankful sigh and the junk was becoming purified around them. But just as all the slime and mud lowered and streamed even more ferociously, it swathed around Kagome and morphed into a fist that enveloped her body before she could scream. The rest of the flood raged into the halls; but only rising up to everybody's knees.

When the avalanche of junk conclusively ended, everyone peered out from behind the refugee of the walls in curiosity and shock.

Kagome could only stay there, surrounded by light, staring at one of the strangest demons she had seen so far. It was in the form of a giant with long arms and shorter legs with a horse-shaped head that had gleaming blue eyes.

"KIKYO!" Sango cupped the side of her mouth to resonate her calls over the summits of forceful waves. "Kikyo, where are you?"

Kagome gazed blankly through the light that fisted her body, staring in amazement at the demon.

Silence ruled the room as the demon smiled at her, "Thank you." The demon's voice was breathy and soft, as if not wanting to disturb the silence around him. The horse demon's body recovered from the purification fully and disappeared spellbindingly behind the winding steam of a pure aura.

The fist of light that had enclosed her soon fell around her shriveled toes.

She could only blink.

Kagome peeked down into the cracks of her finger margins to gasp at small herbal plant that had been somehow placed in her holding without her knowing it. It was a leaf. It actually seemed edible and Kagome had the strange idea that it was a lot more important than it actually looked. She lifted her incredulous sight to where the wet horse demon's head once was.

"Lord Naraku," Jaken waggled his nose. "Who was that?"

"Jinenji," Naraku answered contemptuously.

"Jinenji?"

Around him gasps were heard as everyone saw the pieces of little glittering lights littering the ground among the now watery sludge. All the workers screamed in excitement and made a grab for the money as if their lives depended on it.

"M'Lord!" Jaken echoed. "Th-the floor is filled with GOLD nuggets that demon left behind!"

Naraku glared at them. The greedy little bastards were trying to steal his money after all. Above that, their guest was still here and this would make a very bad impression. "Back off!" Naraku snapped at the drooling workers who immediately devoured the nuggets with their digging hands. Our guest is still here you idiots!"

Other cries were heard, reprimanding everyone that what they were taking was company property. Naraku glanced back at their guest as a bubbling sound was heard.

The remaining sludge in the room bubbled with life. Kagome backed away from it, embracing the leaf that had been given to her with utter protectiveness.

"Kikyo!" Naraku called to her. "You are in his way—now step aside! Our guest is leaving."

"Yes, sir!" Kagome obeyed without question, somehow smiling.

The superb being directed its sweltering irises to a bowing Kagome. As she looked up, she swore to herself to have seen a smile on Jinenji's stretched lips. The demon tipped back its head and elevated profound sights on Naraku who kept his distance on the upper level of the castle.

Naraku's face solidified under a tyrannical frown down on Jinenji below him. Kagome bit her tongue as the horse demon galloped up the side of the wall. She waited disbelievingly for the lethal assail Naraku was about to take, until it…

Never came.

The demon started to lift into the air, the light around him becoming restless and rising up around him until with a laugh the demon flew out of the door of the castle and into the night sky.

All was quiet… until…

"Hooray KIKYO!" Sango hooted.

Soon, the whole castle was cheering, customers and workers alike, filled with a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Kagome looked up to see that Naraku was actually grinning slightly as he watched the spirit go. Kagome was slightly disturbed at the sight of a pleased Naraku instead of a scowling one but decided not to say anything. Naraku looked at her, something akin to a satisfied look in his eyes and Kagome was relieved to see that she wasn't going to be turned into anything tonight.

"Kikyo!" Sango rushed to Kagome in between all the racket and took her hands in her own, joy broadcasted across the details of her face, "You did great, Kikyo! We made so much money! That demon is rich and powerful! Maybe you BOUZOS should LEARN a thing or two from Kikyo over here!"

"Everyone," Naraku announced, looking unnerved by the earlier encounter with the horse demon. A defeated smirk was sketched on his lips by an anonymous artist, "Drinks are on the house tonight."

If possible, the joyous yells got even louder as they all began to celebrate… that is until…

"But first," Naraku gave his workers a toothy leer, "Hand over all the GOLD you picked up."

"WHAT?" almost everyone began yelling.

Behind the scenes of it all, that little fox Shippo that had offered Kagome the tokens slouched in the shadows. It examined the nugget of gold it founded, a satisfied chuckle in mind.


	10. Like the Sea

**_Chapter 10: Like the Sea_**

There was a great party in the castle that night, everyone getting more food than usual and being in a much better mood. Kagome was no longer an outcast now that she'd handled the horse demon situation so well, and even Jaken had congratulated her. (Though a little reluctantly) Now she was sitting in her room and was staring outside into the now sea-like world. The rain had finally stopped but now it had flooded nearly everything. Kagome was reminded of the ocean she'd seen together with her family for the first time when she was still a little girl. She shook it off, knowing that becoming homesick would not be a good thing right now.

"Hey," said a friendly voice behind her. Kagome turned in time to see Sango smile as she saddled herself next to Kagome on the wooden balcony.

"Mm," Kagome nudged out a distant welcoming.

Sango, still carrying a broad grin on her face at having so much food all of a sudden, handed Kagome a bowl of soup. "Here, I managed to take some more. I thought you must be hungry after today." Kagome smiled briefly at her friend, "Thanks, Sango." Before looking back at the sky.

"It's no big deal," Sango stifled her yawn with a patting hand and adjusted herself into a comfortable position. "Ahhh, well today was… interesting to say the least."

Kagome gave a dark chuckled. "You can say that again," she said as her eyes found the Milky Way… which was creating a path of stars almost like a winding snake through the night sky. Kagome was suddenly reminded of how Inu looked when she last saw him. She somehow knew that that dog had been Inu, and she wondered where the other had been headed. She hadn't seen him in the castle at all which meant that he was probably still on his mission. Even though he told her that he might be gone for a while… it's already been months and she was starting to worry.

Kagome swished her feet back and forth while they dangled over the edge of the balcony to the women's suites. She crossed her arms over the banister ledge and propped her chin up on them. A tiresome sigh let itself go from her lungs.

Kagome took her time eating her food. Of course, everything suddenly tasted like cardboard to her, and stared afar into an imaginary void that Sango couldn't see.

"…Sango?" she finally asked.

"Yeah?"

"H-Have you seen Inu at all?"

"Ugh," Sango spat laughingly, "Not Inu again."

Kagome hugged her shoulders closer to her temples to prepare herself for the answer to come. "Do you know where he is?" her tone clattered into tremors. Kagome knew the question was odd, a worker asking something like that about her boss when they supposedly had only seen each other once. Sango didn't seem fazed though.

"I dunno, he just vanishes sometimes. Most people say he goes to do Naraku's dirty work."

A javelin thorn barbed Kagome's once adoring impressions of the handsome henchman. "D…Does he really?" her watery words didn't pass up Sango's keenness.

"Most likely," Sango answered as she looked at her strangely.

"I see," Kagome replied, trying to sound unconcerned, but as she turned her head look at her friend, she saw that Sango had wondering look in her eyes.

Kagome once more flinched at that. She had promised herself not to doubt Inu anymore, but when she heard stuff like that it was hard. She'd seen the sincerity in Inu's eyes though, the want to protect her, and Kagome wasn't about to let that image go.

"He actually seemed fond of you. When he first took you down for work he had this really protective aura about him. I dunno, just seemed like he didn't want anything to happen to you. Really weird since he usually has a heart of ice." Sango looked thoughtfully into the ocean-like landscape.

Kagome smiled slightly at Sango's comment, her faith in Inu strengthened by what her friend had just said. Yes, Inu was obviously Naraku's henchman or whatever, but he wasn't trying to lead her into a trap. Kagome really did believe that.

She focused on the illuminated shine of the moon's smiling light that brightened the hoods of grazing clouds. Kagome's cinnamon orbs absorbed the moon's regal splendor, soaking and bathing in its presence. The little town below her, where she had once toddled through with her family, was now secreted beneath the depths of the indigo-hued flood the rain had dispatched. The moon's towering reflection lapped in the face of the oceanic oasis below them.

"How pretty," she breathed in the atmosphere of that beauty. "There's so much water, it looks like the sea."

"Well what did you expect?" Sango piped up. "All that rain really took its toll."

Kagome nodded halfheartedly.

"Tell me something, Kikyo."

Kagome brushed a stray hair that clawed over her eye. "Okay."

"What's between you and Inuyasha?"

Kagome felt her face beginning to burn. She pretended that she didn't hear her and could only choke out, "Huh?"

"You're not deaf, are you?"

Kagome emotionally collapsed into herself. At that moment she wanted to hide away from Sango's accusing stare of sternness, but the spots that blotched on her cheeks were much too plain by now.

"_Kikyo_," Sango warned.

"It's nothing," Kagome mumbled into the flesh of her suddenly hot arm, "There's nothing at all." She uncovered the green leaf that Jinenji had entrusted her with and the fragmental shards of light that sided her pupils rocked vibrantly with optimism_. 'After all… how can I give an answer when I don't know it myself?' _

Kagome embraced the herb to her bosom gratefully. _'I can do this. I've been telling myself that ever since I was healed. Once I was well, I always said that this would be nothing that I can't do.' _

The train passed them from below and Kagome absently followed it with her eyes, her hand coming up for another spoonful of soup. She glanced back down at her leaf and before she knew what she was doing, lifted it up to her mouth and taking a tiny nibble at a corner.

It tasted unbearably bitter in her mouth and Kagome's senses shot back to full awareness. She nearly choked on her own saliva as she spit it out. Sango looked at her in surprise, not understanding what had just gotten into her.

"Kikyo? You okay?" Kagome just kept coughing, trying her hardest to get the taste out of her mouth. She would _not _do that again. That was for sure.

(Sorry for such a short chapter. But I'm low on inspiration lately. Please read and review.)


	11. Inu's Return

**_Chapter 11: Inu's Return_******

One of the servants, Jaken, was slinking around the castle looked around the rooms to make sure no one was there anymore. A small ticking noise caught his attention and he looked in front of him to see a small golden stone bouncing towards him. The toad demon quickly grabbed it, staring at it as if it was the most wonderful thing in the world.

"Gold… real gold…" Just then, another small piece of gold bounced down to him and he once more caught it, before finally looking up and seeing a large pink balloon-like demon with enormous eyes in the Purification Room."Hey, you're not supposed to be here! Leave at once!"

The pink balloon just stared, a tiny hand outstretched as more clumps of gold appeared. Jaken's eyes widened once more in greed as he stared at the hand.

"You can make gold?" he demanded. The demon nodded before he held out another one of it's antenna like hands. Jaken immediately launched himself at the gold to grab it. Just as he was about to wrap his fingers around the money, the demon hands closed around the frog before his mouth turned to a seemingly impossible size and he swallowed Jaken whole. Small protesting noises were heard as Jaken was swallowed, before all became silent again.

One of the other workers walked by as he heard the noise from the room, glancing inside curiously, "Who's there? Its way past bedtime, come on! We're all worn out after today."

He stopped in his tracks as a small clump of gold landed in front of his feet and he stared at it before looking back into the room. He could see someone in there, the demon that was now staring at him, "Heh, heh," he chuckled. "Hey boss, I'm hungry, starving really! So get me some food already! Especially candy! Lots of candy!"

The servant took several steps back, not knowing what to do.

"Oh, and after I eat. I'll be sure to pay everyone here! But only if I enjoy myself!" More gold fell onto the ground to show his wealth and the castle worker's greed kicked in. "Why don't you wake everyone up, huh?"

_*Kagome*_

_Kagome was running through the large garden leading to the pigpen where her family still was, following the path through the large flowers to run into the small pen. She quickly leaned over the low wooden fence towards the pigs behind it. _

_"Mom! Dad! Sota! I have some medicine! Maybe if you eat it you'll turn back to humans!"_

_Kagome bit her lower lip and pulled back from the fence as all pigs in the pen turned to her and came towards her. Her eyes widened as she frantically looked over the pigs only to come up with nothing as he tried to find her family._

_"MOM? DAD? SOTA? Which one are you?"_

_All the pigs squealed as they came closer to the fence, trying to convince her that they were the right pig she was looking for. Kagome panicked and backed away, afraid of all the pigs and panicked that she would never find her family._

_If she couldn't separate them from the other pigs, how was she going to bring them back to their human forms? How were they going to escape from this world?_

_Would she ever get out of this place?_

Kagome's eyes snapped open as she blinked against the light coming from outside. Confused she looked around her to realize she was back in her bedroom. She sighed as she relaxed a bit more.

"It was only a bad dream, nothing more," she said to herself. The doubt the dream had left about finding her family was pushed aside for now, her mind finding it unimportant since there was no way to even get them back to normal. Fears like that would be left until the time actually came.

After a few seconds Kagome noticed how quiet it was around her really and got out of bed to see what was going on. She stuck her head out into the hallway and she frowned from not seeing anybody running around and doing their chores like every morning. "Where is everyone?" she muttered to herself.

She walked over to the windows to look out over the landscape. Water was what met her eyes mostly; and after the heavy downpour of the day before, all the land had been drowned in large amounts of rainwater, making it resemble an ocean.

Kagome's eyes wandered over the landscape to rest on the pigpen like every day. Her doubts returned and she sighed, "I sure hope everyone's doing okay."

Her eyes stayed on the pigpen for a few moments longer until she noticed large amounts of smoke coming from the chimneys of the castle, signaling that the fires were working full force. Kagome blinked, knowing it was still quite early for everyone to be working already, "Fire's this early in the morning? What's going on?"

She quickly ran back into the bedroom and dressed, running out of the room and into the actual castle to find out why everyone was already up.

As she exited the room, Sango had just come running up the stairs with a wide grin on her face, "Kikyo! I was just coming to wake you up. We have a new guest and he's loaded! He's giving away money like it's nothing."

From the hall Kagome could hear people yelling for gold and trying to get the guest to eat what they brought him. Kagome stared at the door opening to the room where all the commotion was before looking back at Sango. "Who's the guest?"

"Who cares? Some freaky balloon-looking demon who talks a lot and loves candy, but I don't really care as long as he gives us money. The more money that we can earn, the sooner we can get out of here! C'mon, let's go before Naraku wakes up." Sango was already running down the steps before Kagome could answer. Kagome hesitated for a second before replying.

"I'm going to look for Inu, I'll see you later." Sango rolled her eyes as she looked back up from the bottom of the stairs.

"Stop worrying about Inu so much, he's fine!" Sango yelled up. Someone passed Sango, dragging her away, leaving Kagome alone at the top of the stairs. Kagome stared for a moment later as they left, before turning and starting to look for Inu.

She walked along the halls until she reached the balcony again, sighing as she leaned on the banister. "Inu? Where are you?" she muttered a little angry. "You better get here before I forget what my family looks like in their pig forms." She rested her head in her hands as she looked out over the ocean-like landscape and began to daydream of Inu. "I sure hope they aren't too unhappy."

As she stared into the distance she didn't notice a white blur flying towards the castle. She was snapped back to reality as she recognized the white blur as the dog she'd seen flying away the day before. "Inu?" she whispered.

She followed the dog's every move with her eyes, staring as what seemed to be birds surrounding him and slashed at his sides. Inu twisted and turned in the air, trying to escape the assault but to no avail. Even as he dove into the water to emerge later on, the birds continued to pursue it.

"Come on, Inu! Fight them!" Kagome leaned further over the edge to get a better look only to see blood trickling off the muscular body. Kagome's eyes widened, "INU! You're hurt. Come this way!"

The dog twisted once more in the air to turn towards the castle and ram into the door right behind Kagome. Kagome yelped as she was pushed backwards into the room by the force of Inu's entrance, but quickly tried to close the door again as the birds were rushing to follow.

She slammed the window shut and her eyes widened as she saw what the birds really were. "They're paper? Shikigami!"

The paper birds all fell to the ground as the others flew away to wherever they most likely came from. Kagome stared for a second before turning around and focusing her attention to the injured dog laying behind her.

Blood was trickling from Inu's mouth, and he looked so tired and in pain—as if he had been flying non-stop for days and had been chased by those Shikigami the whole time. Kagome took a step forwards only to receive a growl from the dog. Kagome took a step backwards, "Inu?" she whispered. But he didn't seem to recognize her. "Stop moving… you'll bleed to death. You're going to be okay, those paper Shikigami are gone now. You're safe."

She tried to come forward again only to receive another growl. Inu lifted his front body off the floor, looking at Kagome with dazed eyes, before rising completely and lunging forward. Kagome yelped as she jumped to the side and Inu passed through the door again.

Kagome ran out of the room and looked up as Inu flew off. She watched him go as the dof entered one of the windows. "He's on the top floor?" she cried in panic. "I need to get there before he bleeds to death!"

Kagome quickly ran off, trying to get to the room Inu was now in as soon as possible. And because she was so worried she didn't notice one of the paper birds fluttering up and clinging to the back of her shoulder.

_*Upstairs*_

"Everybody, don't just stand there! Hurry up and bow down," one of the castle workers danced ahead as the balloon demon followed through the halls of the castle, all other workers standing at the sides.

"Welcome," all the workers said respectfully as they tried to get tips from the demon—or 'Rich One' they named him. They bowed to seem respectful, but were really trying to get more money by getting on the his good side.

In the mean time Kagome darted down the hall, trying to reach the nearest elevator to go up and find Inu. She was so focused on getting there fast that she didn't notice the huge crowd and bumped into someone. The servant turned around to give Kagome an annoyed look. "Where do you think you're going?"

Kagome took a step back so she could look at the toad demon better. "Up," she answered simply.

"I don't think so; you can't go through here now!" the toad said as he tried to shove Kagome away until he noticed the red liquid on Kagome's hands. "What's this?" His eyes widened, "Blood!"

He backed away and Kagome was finally able to pass. She hadn't even noticed the blood Inu had left on her hands but people seemed to be afraid of it here. A fact that was getting her to the elevator right now.

As she turned a corner, she saw one of the other workers walking ahead of the balloon demon that she heard about. She gasped because she recognized his eyes. His disguise couldn't fool her… she didn't know how… but she just knew that it was Shippo.

She stopped as all eyes turned to her and the worker right in front of her told her to get away. Kagome ignored the other servants and bowed, "Thank you for helping me earlier, Shippo!"

"Don't talk to him you hum…" but suddenly the toad demon was thrown aside by Shippo before he could even finish his sentence. Shippo came forward to float right in front of Kagome, holding out his hands as gold appeared in them. He made a few noises to urge Kagome to take the gold, but Kagome shook her head as she looked up in confusion.

Shippo tried once more, only to get a similar response. "I don't need any but thanks."

Shippo pulled back a little, his noises turning to those of disappointment. Kagome bit her bottom lip in as she glanced aside. She needed to get to Inu. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go now." She bowed again before passing Shippo. She was out of sight before anyone noticed or could do anything.

All the other workers immediately jumped at the money that fell from Shippo's hands as he watched Kagome go, not interested in the gold he was holding any longer. The worker that had been thrown aside earlier tried to calm everyone down and keep them away from the money. "I'm terribly sorry sir. You'll have to excuse her. She's only a human and doesn't know any better." He smiled, hoping that Shippo hadn't been upset by this all.

Shippo on the other hand, turned back to the servant, his eyes finally leaving the direction Kagome had run into. His eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke in the voice of the worker he'd eaten before. "I hate that smile. Stop it!"

The servant blinked in confusion. "S-sorry sir but…"

"I said stop smiling!" Shippo yelled as he grabbed the toad and a female worker that had tried to get some gold before his mouth opened to an incredible size and he swallowed the two. Panic broke loose as everyone tried to run.

_*Kagome*_

Kagome stepped from one of the windows out on the roof. All elevators had been blocked and people were constantly holding her back so she had decided to try and reach Inu from the outside. She knew that there was an old iron ladder going to the top floor out here, but the problem was that she'd have to reach it. The ladder could only be reached if you crossed a gutter first.

That gutter was old and could apart at any minute.

Nevertheless, Kagome made her way up the roof to reach the gutter and could see that the ladder she needed was right across from her. She gulped as she took in the narrow pipe and for a second wanted to go back into the castle and find another way. But she already wasted enough time. She knew this was the only chance she had at reaching Inu, and she needed to get up there as fast as possible.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome closed her eyes for a second to calm her nerves, before opening them with a determination that she wasn't feeling. She ran over the last bit of roof as fast as she could, continuing that same speed as she stepped onto the pipe and kept running.

She was praying that this wouldn't end like the time that she walked down those stairs on her first night here.

And for the first couple of steps the drain seemed to be holding her weight, until a creaking noise alerted Kagome that the pipe was coming off the wall. She screamed slightly as the gutter started detached itself from the wall and she nearly lost her balance, but managed to grab onto the ladder just at the last moment. A second later and she would've fallen off to a early grave, she was sure of that, so she mentally thanked whatever God was up there for getting her this far.

She took a large gulp of air to calm her pounding heart, before she started to climb to the top of the ladder, and hopefully where Inu was. The determined look returned to her as she climbed. Inu risked his life to help her, and she wasn't going to let him die if she could help it.

So focused on her task, she didn't notice that the paper bird on her shoulder fluttered off her for a second only to reattach itself to the backside of her head. She didn't notice anything until she looked behind her as if sensing something, and saw cloud of Miasma coming towards the building. Her eyes widened as she realized Naraku was coming back and would find Inu in the state he was in right now.

Naraku didn't seem like the type of guy to like injured people, and Kagome doubted he'd give Inu any medical attention.

She quickly pushed herself up against the ladder, hoping Naraku wouldn't spot her. She watched as he flew to the top floor without seeing her. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, but then looked up determinedly. She needed to get up there fast.

As she reached the top of the ladder, Kagome looked at the window now in front of her. It was her only way into the building, but she had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy to go through. Sighing, she pushed against the window once, finding it locked – or at least stuck. She gave it an annoyed look before starting to ram into the glass. If the thing wouldn't open, then she'd just break it.

The paper bird on the back of her head fluttered off her again, this time simply fluttering down to slide thought the crack between the window and the frame, only to unlock the window from the inside.

Kagome threw all her weight into her ramming as the window now suddenly opened and she fell inside. She landed hard on her butt, a bit dazed, wondering why the window had suddenly given away, but then pushed it aside. It didn't matter right now, all that mattered was that she was inside.

She quickly got up, once more not noticing the paper bird attaching itself to her as she ran through the long hallway. She noticed a side passage and quickly turned into it, only to end up in a room full of jewels and crystal.

Kagome gasped in wonder as she walked through the room curiously for a while, looking around and wondering what a room like this was doing in the castle, before hearing Naraku's voice and quickly running to the curtains obviously leading to another room.

"We're in big trouble, I found out who that demon is. He's a shape-shifter! It's all your fault, you attract terrible guests. Okay, I'm coming; don't let him eat anyone else until I there." Kagome glanced through the curtains to see Naraku just hanging up the phone. He'd obviously been in a phone call, no doubt with a servant, and Kagome guessed the 'Shape-shifter' Naraku had spoken off was Shippo.

"Ugh, Inu's bleeding all over the carpet. Get him out, he's not long for this world anyway." Kagome's eyes widened at the statement and even more as she saw Naraku approaching the room she was in. She quickly backed away, looking around her for a hiding place, until she realized the pile of crystal could easily conceal her. She quickly dove behind it just as Naraku walked through the door.

Naraku entered the room and walked over to the crystal platform Kagome was hiding in, moving a few of them as if trying to find something. For a moment, Kagome thought that he knew she was there and was going to turn her into a lump of coal. But the next second, she saw that it was the form of a small baby that was lying among the crystal like a crib.

"There you are Akago, trying to hide again?"

Though she couldn't see it, Kagome knew that the baby was giving him a nasty look.

"Go back to sleep," Naraku commanded as he turned away, obviously heading downstairs. Kagome watched him go and breathed a sigh of relief he exited the room, glad that the other hadn't found her.

She was about to crawl out from behind the crystal when she heard a voice ask, "Who are you?"

Kagome jumped and looked around. Trying to see where that sly voice had come from. But the only person in there with her was the baby. She walked over to him and got a closer look at him. The baby was holding onto a discolored jewel and had ghastly pale skin, a light purple colored hair, red eyes… and an evil smile.

"Ah…" Kagome said almost hesitantly. "Did you just talk?"

The baby stared at her, and finally spoke in the same cold, and cunning voice, "You just came in here to try to destroy me didn't you?" Kagome just stared in confusion. The baby continued unfazed. "You're just another one of Naraku's enemies trying to destroy him are you not?"

"I didn't come here for you! I came to help someone!" Kagome gave the other a pleading look, but the baby was, again, unfazed. For a second it occurred to Kagome that she was arguing with a baby, but she pushed it aside; getting to Inu was more important.

"I don't believe you," the baby said.

"Look," Kagome said, "Someone very important to me is going to bleed to death if I don't get to him!"

"And you expect me to believe that?" the baby asked. "If you really are here to help someone then you're out of luck. Once Naraku realizes that he doesn't need someone anymore, he just kills them himself."

Kagome flinched as if the baby had smacked her.

"Besides," the baby said with a slight grin. "You can't get into that room once the door's been shut."

"What do you mean?" Kagome demanded.

"Just like I said," the baby said, rolling his eyes as if he thought she was slow. "You need the jewel to get the door open."

"What jewel?" Kagome asked desperately. "That one?" she pointed to the tiny crystal in the baby's hand.

"The Fuyohecki," the baby said.

"Then can I please borrow it?" Kagome begged, through knowing the answer.

"No," he replied.

Kagome was losing her mind. She went to the door and tried to open it… but it was locked.

"What I tell you?" the baby said in a know-it-all tone.

Throwing all caution to the wind, she ran back to the baby, grabbed the jewel right out of his hands and went running back to the door. For some reason, this time, the door opened.

Kagome away from the freaky devil baby as fast as possible. Kagome ran into the room where Inu was in. She quickly looked around, searching for either the white dog or Inu's actual form, only to see some of Naraku's pets attempting to push the beautiful white dog into a huge gap in the floor. Kagome's eyes widened as she immediately ran over to try and save him.


	12. Falling Down

_**Chapter 12: Falling Down**_

Kagome saw a swarm of Naraku's ugly insects trying to drag Inu's dog form into a giant hole in the middle of the floor. "What are you doing? Get away, get back!" Kagome screamed at them as she ran forward and took Inu's head into her arms, frantically checking if the other was even still alive.

"Inu," she cried as she raised his head and yelled in his ears, "Inu, are you alright? Can you hear me? Inu, please wake up!"

The insects kept flying around her, buzzing as if they were trying to chase her away. Kagome glared at the as she began swatting.

"Knock it off! Can't you see he's hurt?" she cried at them as they began to circle around the room, thrashing about in both fright and anger. They attacked Kagome in an attempt to drive the other away, but Kagome held her ground firmly.

"Get away!" She tried to drive whack the bugs away by waving her hands randomly but they kept coming back. That wasn't all she had to worry about though. Cracks were heard from the other room as the baby tried to come out… but baby wasn't alone.

The curtains were ripped off its holds as a large creature came bursting through the door.

Kagome stared, forgetting about Inu for the briefest moment, but never releasing her hold on him. The creature looked almost human. Except for its size… it was a giant—a giant with grayish-pale skin, and blue tattoos and scares covering it's body.

But the most terrifying were its eyes. They're cold and empty… there were no emotions… nothing at all. In it's hands was the same baby that she just saw. He was looking angry—he was staring at her with cold eyes that seemed to gaze straight into her heart.

"Give it back!" he said harshly as the giant slowly started walking towards her.

"Give what back?" she screamed at him. "And what the hell is that thing?"

The baby tiled his head at her as if he thought she was dumb. "You took the Fuyohecki and I want it back." He then looked up at the giant and said, "This is my—friend—Mōryōmaru. He does what I cannot do myself. So unless you want him to tear you limb from limb I suggest that you hand the crystal back to me."

Kagome looked down at the little jeweled ball in her hand and realized what he was talking about. "You mean this? Fine you can have it back! I just want to help Inu," she then threw the jewel over to them before turning back to the dog.

"Inu?" she begged as tears threatened to fall. "Please tell me that you're going to be alright!"

As the baby picked up the jewel, Kagome looked around her desperately. Naraku was going to hear and come in here if they made any more noise… if he wasn't on his way already. Then they'd all be in trouble and she probably wouldn't be able to save Inu—heck she probably wasn't going to be able to save herself.

She was dead… she couldn't think of a way to get out of this mess. Just as she was about to give up completely, a disembodied voice spoke up and seemed to be coming from herself.

"You spoiled brat," said the voice. "You don't get what you want… so you destroy everything and have someone else fight for you until you do?" The voice seemed to snort for a second as a paper Shikigami, that was clinging to Kagome's shirt, flew up and drifted in the air in front of Mōryōmaru and the baby. "You're a bit of a weakling, aren't you?"

The baby's eyes narrowed and he glared at the paper before he demanded, "Who are you? Why don't you show your true self and prove it!"

"Hmm," the paper said. "Perhaps you're right." And then when Shikigami landed on the ground, the ghostly figure of a person suddenly appeared out of thin air. Kagome's eyes widened at not only the sudden appearance, but also her beauty. A young woman with flowing black hair, a pale face, and dressed in ancient-looking Japanese armor. She had never seen this woman before in her life… and yet there was something familiar about her red eyes…

The newcomer looked over at the baby in Mōryōmaru's arms, and said in a tinkling soprano voice, "You know… if there's one thing that I can't stand is a spoiled brat." She snapped her finger once and the baby's entire body began to grow.

And the next thing that Kagome knew, was that the baby wasn't a baby anymore… a young child was standing there in his place. It looked as if the infant had aged about 8 or 9 more years. But you could tell that it was the same one. He still had the sickly pale skin, light violet hair, and the same icy cold eyes. The child sat up and stared at his new body as the blanket fell away…

"There," she said as the child continued to stare at his hands. "Maybe now you can cause some problems for Naraku for me. Now… let me see… what else can I mess around with while I'm here?"

Another snap of the woman's fingers and the swarm of insects changed into fleas and fell to the ground. There was a giant crashing sound, and Mōryōmaru slowly began to shrink until it changed into the form of the baby.

Kagome stared wide-eyed at the scene, fear growing in her as she looked back at the woman.

She chuckled again at her work before looking at Kagome, "This is our little secret, little girl. Say one word about it and I promise that it'll be the last thing that you'll ever do." A mischievous glint appeared in her red eyes and Kagome had no doubt she could make that threat become reality.

Kagome refrained from backing away as she tried to calm herself down. "Who are you?" and to her surprise, her question came out much more confident than she was actually feeling.

"I'm Madoriko, Naraku's twin sister," she told her. Kagome blinked—Naraku had a sister?

As if she read her mind, Madoriko said, "Yes, Naraku has a sister… not that he's happy about it. He prefers to think that I don't exist. But that's ancient history. Anyway, it was really nice of you to lead me straight to this dog's hidey-hole. Now I'll take it from here. Hand him over to me." It wasn't a request, it was an order. But Kagome couldn't comply, definitely not after she'd seen what Madoriko was capable of.

"What do you want with Inu?" she asked her suspiciously. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but he was badly hurt by something." As she said that, she tightened her grip on Inu somewhat, refusing to let go.

"My heart bleeds for him," she said. "But that's too bad. He stole my jewel. It has great magical powers and I want it back." Madoriko came closer, clearly stating that she wasn't about to let the dog go so easily.

"Inu wouldn't do that! He's got a good heart!" Kagome pulled Inu closer to her again. No way would Inu would steal like that, she just knew Inu wouldn't. She refused to believe it unless someone gave her proof.

Madoriko just snorted at the words, "Tell me something little girl, do you know why he became my brother's apprentice? To steal his magic secrets and now he's stolen my sacred jewel why he was at it. He's nothing but a greedy little thief who will stop at nothing to get what he wants which means that there's nothing good about him." Madoriko threw a disgusted look at the unconscious dog. "Now step away so I can get my jewel back. I'm afraid that the jewel's curse… which means as soon as I take it back, he'll die."

Kagome felt her eyes widen in horror and her heart felt like it stopped beating for a brief second.

"No, you can't!" Kagome screamed as she desperately hugged Inu to her chest. She was sure Madoriko wouldn't have cared and could've forced her away from the dog without any effort. But now her attention was drawn the baby-now child pulling down a curtain and wrapping it around his naked body. Madoriko gave him an annoyed look.

"Oh, what's wrong with you idiot? Keep quiet! I don't want my brother to come up here." Madoriko used her powers to lift the boy up into the air and threw him near Kagome and Inu. Which was a bad idea because it finally woke Inu up. He lifted his head slightly, before he reared up in anger. He lifted his clawed leg into the air and brought it down onto the Shikigami that was still on the floor, quickly slashing it in two. Madoriko's eyes widened as she began cursing softly at her own mistake before she vanished into nothingness.

After Inu had slashed the paper, he lost his balance. Since he was already on the edge of the gap the insects had tried to push him into, he slowly tipped over the edge. Kagome cried out as she felt Inu slip away from her and grabbed on tighter, only to be dragged along.

_*Falling down*_

Down… down… down… through the castle Kagome and Inu fell. Kagome clutched onto the dog desperately, not wanting to be separated from him no matter what. If she was going to die, at least she was going to die together with Inu.

Vaguely she registered a pair of small hands grab hold the back of her shirt, trying hard to hold on. Her eyes glanced at the form briefly, seeing the baby-now child clinging to her shirt, but it didn't completely reach her mind as she was too distracted by her current problem.

She shut her eyes, not wanting to see the ground come up to meet him. That was when something ever strange happened…

As soon as her eyes closed, she had a kinda—vision? It was a vague image of the night all around her, the feeling of being carried as she flew through the night sky in the arms of someone strong. While below here, were the images of city lights twinkling like a sea of stars, before the feeling of safety enveloped her and the vision faded.

Kagome snapped her eyes open, the vision still fresh in her memory but not found important enough at the moment to think too much on. Her senses returned to her as she frantically looked down at the dog she was so desperately clutching onto, "Inu!"

_*Inu*_

Inu's eyes blearily opened a little, the pain he was in making it hard for him to think. He couldn't see straight, everything was starting to fade into darkness… but one thing that he knew was that he heard his name being called by Kagome's voice as though from far away. He then realized that Kagome was next to him and they were falling fast. Eyes widened for a second, and with the last of his strength he slowed their fall down, no longer able to fly but at least lessening the impact at they reached the ground.

They fell through a wooden floor and finally landed somewhere at the bottom of the castle. Inu's effort had indeed lessened the impact and it was most likely the only reason they were still alive right now.

_*Kagome*_

Kagome let go of her death grip and rolled off Inu once they fell through the floor and landed hard on another floor, the dog raising its head and began to roar in agony. Kagome looked into golden depths helplessly as Inu collapsed to the ground.

"What's going on here?" cried out a familiar, yet panic-stricken voice.

Kagome rolled over to see where she was. She was back in the shrine with Miroku running over to her with a stunned and panicked look on his face. Ignoring the pain in her ribs, she leapt up and frantically started calling out Inu's name in an effort to keep the other conscious. She ran forward to the bleeding dog and dropped down next to him; Miroku seemed to come out of it and slowly approached with narrowed eyes, seeing blood all over Inu's muzzle.

"Sorry Miroku!" she said to him without tearing her eyes away from the dog. "But it's an emergency. What's wrong with him?" Kagome turned her head and gave Miroku a pleading look, hoping the other could help.

Cautiously, he stepped forward to get a better look. He saw all the blood coming out from Inu's mouth and said, "It looks like he's bleeding from the inside…" Miroku gave the dog a thoughtful look. "I think that maybe he swallowed something?"

Kagome's eyes widened, remembering what Madoriko had told her. Madoriko had said that Inu had stolen her sacred—something or other—jewel. Although Kagome didn't want to believe that Inu would ever steal, perhaps Inu had swallowed the jewel by accident? But she would worry about that later.

She bit her lip, trying to come up with an idea to get the jewel from inside him as quickly as possible, until her mind drifted to the herb that Jinenji. She quickly took it out of her pocket and tried to get it down Inu's throat.

"Inu, the spirit called Jinenji gave me this, maybe if you eat it, it'll help!" she tried to feed it to Inu but the half conscious dog couldn't seem to be able to open his mouth. Kagome kept trying but to no avail.

"Come on, please Inu! Look, it's not bad for you!" Kagome bit the plant in two, pretending to eat one half before quickly putting it away. She might need it for her family later on. Inu didn't even open his eyes to look at her and Kagome felt her heart breaking slightly.

Finally, having enough, she tried to open Inu's mouth herself with all her strength. She was only able to open it just a few inches before putting half of what she hoped to be medicine into Inu's mouth.

Miroku frowned at what Kagome had given Inu for a second. A gift from Jinenji? How had Kagome even met such a powerful spirit of healing? And why had she gotten a gift from him? He glanced down again as Kagome determinedly wrapped her arms around Inu's muzzle before hugging it tightly so Inu wouldn't be able to spit out the medicine.

As Inu tasted the foul taste in his mouth, he started to struggle and thrash against Kagome's hold, trying to open his jaws to get rid of whatever was causing the terrible feeling. Kagome refused to let go though and Inu had no choice but to swallow. But when he did, the only thing that the plant seemed to be able to do was make him thrash even more until, at last, Kagome couldn't hold him any longer and let go.

Inu spit out the herb as fast as he could, but as he did, something else was also spat out, and he fell to the ground, out cold.

Kagome gave Inu an anxious glance, before looking at what he had spat out. A small pink jewel lay on the ground, covered in blood and some black gunk. The jewel sparkled innocently and seemed to be having some kind of life of its own—but her focus was all one the thing that was laying on top of it. It was another of those ugly, red-eye wasps that belonged to Naraku.

Kagome stared as the bug looked around itself, before stretching it's wings, wrapping it's legs around the pink jewel and try to fly off.

"Don't let it get away!" Kagome screamed and Miroku leapt up at her words and went after the bug. He pulled out a sutra from underneath his cloak and threw it at the wasp just as it was halfway off the floor. The wings disappeared as the sutra came in contact with it, and it fell back to the floor.

Once it realized that its wings were missing, it forgot about the jewel and tried to dash across the floor towards the wall where the mouse holes were, but the Shikigami blocked its path there. That was where Miroku was waiting for it—he used his staff to crush it and it disappeared. "Saimyosho," he said when he saw Kagome staring at him in astonishment. "Insects from hell."

Kagome could only nod before a flash of light caught her eye. She turned to see the jewel still lying on the floor… she got to her feet and went over to pick it up. Miroku also came over to also get a better look at the object. Kagome quickly explained what happened upstairs and finished saying, "I think that Inu stole this seal from Madoriko."

Miroku's jaw dropped in amazement. "You mean to tell me that he stole Madoriko's Jewel of Four Souls? That's as powerful as it gets. No wonder Inu's dying." Kagome gave a panicked look and ran back to the dog still unconscious on the floor. Inu couldn't die, he just couldn't. She wasn't going to let it happen without a fight.

A hissing sound was heard and the dog slowly changed back into the familiar human-like form of Inu… but he was still covered with head-to-foot in blood. Kagome was relieved to see that he was back to normal, but her terror came back in full when she saw just how much blood was covering everything.

"Inu? Inu, please wake up!" she begged as she turned him over and pulled him back into her arms, shaking him slightly to receive grunts of protest. Kagome sighed in relief, now knowing for sure that he was at least still alive.

"Madoriko put a curse on the jewel," she told Miroku. "Is that why he's dying?" Miroku came closer to inspect the body in Kagome's arms. It seemed the other was already healing now that the jewel was out.

"A curse huh? That's explains it. That's some powerful magic. It's definitely what's making him ill." They both put him on a makeshift bed to make him more comfortable, and Miroku came up with a potion that should help with the blood lost and the pain. Kagome sat down next to him, one hand holding onto Inu's, while the other was stroking through the beautiful silver hair, as Miroku watched.

"Well, I guess it couldn't be helped," Miroku stated sadly. "I was afraid that this was going to happen at one point." Kagome looked up her friend in confusion, her eyes silently asking what in the Spirit World he was talking about. Miroku let out a sigh as told her.

"Inu showed up here one day a few years ago, not unlike how you. He me asked for a job but I refused him like I do with everyone. I told him, this is no place for you—it's too dangerous here. Leave while you still have a chance to do so. But he didn't listen. He too, went to see Naraku but something happened to him. Somehow Naraku saw a lot potential in him and made him his apprentice. From that day forward Inu's eyes grew very cold, and everyone thought that his emotions just vanished."

Miroku ran a wearily hand through his hair as he leaned back against the wall and recalled the memory. "I asked him once where he'd come from and why he didn't go back, but he only said to me that he had no memory of what had happened before he came here. He just wanted to learn the magic Naraku had to offer because he felt he might need it someday."

Kagome had been listening to the story with a sad look before looking at Inu's battered face with pain. Inu had told her that Naraku had taken his real name, but he'd never said he hadn't had his memories in the first place. Not that getting his name back would help if he kept getting sicker… that was when an idea came to her.

"Miroku? What if I take the sacred jewel back to Madoriko?" she asked as she spun around to face him. "Maybe then she'll forgive Inu and heal him? Can you tell me where she lives, please?" She looked up at Miroku with pleading eyes. The monk gave her a guarded look, before sighing.

"You'd go to Madoriko for him? Man, you fell harder than I thought." Kagome blushed fiercely but didn't say anything. If he wanted to believe that she was in love then she would let him think so as long as it meant that he could tell her where to go.

Before he could say anything else, a sly and hoarse voice spoke up from a corner of the room. Kagome jumped, completely forgetting about the baby that Madoriko turned into a child. The boy was pulling on some clothes that he found in one of the drawers and said with his back turned to them, "I know how you can get to her, but getting back here will be a lot harder." He turned around to look at her with much more interest than he showed upstairs. "I would like to know how she did what she did to me as well."

Hope began to rise, "You'll show me the way?" she asked in disbelief.

He nodded. "I've never been allowed to leave that room. I might be my only chance to get a glimpse of the outside world… and…" he grinned darkly, "I would love to make Naraku sweat for a change."

Kagome gave him a grateful smile and said, "Thank you." She got up and walked over to the little Shikigami, who were looking at her curiously, and smiled at them, "I'm going to need my shoes and clothes guys, can you get them for me?"

The Shikigami enthusiastically went to retrieve what Kagome'd asked for. But as her clothes came out from the holes, she flinched slightly at the thought that she might not be able to save her family as soon as she hoped. _'I guess they'll have to wait a little longer…'_ she thought. '_Mom, Dad, Sota… just give me a little more time ok? I'll be back to save you.'_

At those thoughts, the panel was pushed aside and Sango stuck her head through the gap with searching eyes, relief flooding them as she saw Kagome. "Kikyo! You're safe!" she cried before getting up and running to her.

She flung her eyes around her, not noticing the mess. When she pulled away, and got a good look at the scene before, she could only stare. She stared at the child, to Miroku sitting on the floor, to Inu in the bed, to the blood covering the floor, before looking back at Kagome. "There's blood everywhere! What happened? What's going on? And who's the kid?" Sango demanded quickly.

"It's a long story," Kagome said tiredly. "I don't know where to begin…"

Sango shook her head before giving her an intense look, "We can deal with that later. Everyone's been looking for you for like an hour already! Naraku's down-right furious!"

"Why?" Kagome asked scared. Did Naraku find out what happened upstairs already?

"The guy with all the gold turned out to be a fox demon called Shippo," Sango said. "And he told all of us that it was you who let him into the castle in the first place."

Kagome gave her a confused look, until realization dawned on her, "Oh, wait, I think I did!"

"What?" Sango cried as she stared at her wide-eyed.

"Yeah, I thought he already worked here or something."

"Are you serious? He's a demon that already swallowed 3 servants!"

Their conversation was interrupted as the child walked over to them. "Look," he said annoyed. "If we're going to go, then we better hurry." He pulled out a sack of gold coins from his pocket and said, "We can use these to buy train tickets… that's how we're going to get to where Madoriko lives. Her stop is called _Mount__ Hakurei_; it's the sixth stop."

"Where did you get those?" Miroku asked in amazement. The child shrugged, "Naraku… he'll never miss them."

Kagome nodded as the boy put the coins back into his pocket, "Mount Hakurei… the sixth stop, got it." Miroku chose that moment to get up and say to her, "That'll get you there, but now you have another problem. There used to be a train ride back but it was stopped a long time ago. If you don't get it right, you'll be in a lot of trouble. Are you sure that you want to go?"

Kagome glanced from the child to Inu lying as still as death. Determination sparked in her eyes as she nodded, "Yes, I'll walk back along the tracks or something."

Sango looked at her in bewilderment before asking, "But what about Shippo?"

"I'll go take care of that, right now," she said as she turned away from the two and walked over to Inu. Crouching down as she gave the other a worried look-over.

"Don't worry, Inu," she whispered for his ears alone, "I'll be back as soon as I can… until I do, don't you dare die on me, you got that?" She leaned down and hesitantly pressed her lips to Inu's forehead, slightly embarrassed that everyone was watching her, but trying to pay attention to it. Sango looked at her fiancé and asked in a whisper, "Do you mind telling me what's going on here?"

Miroku rolled his eyes and put his arm around her shoulders, "I thought that you would know, my dear Sango. It's called love, you should recognize it by now."

She gave him a grin and said, "Anyone with eyes could see that… but I meant everything else?"

**(Sorry for taking so long, I've just been really busy and I've been having a lot of trouble writing. Hope that this chapter makes up for the wait.)**


	13. Boarding a Train

_**Chapter 13: Boarding a Train**_

Panicked screams were still heard through the fortress even long after Naraku had taken Shippo into a separate wing of the castle. All the servants were still bringing in huge plates of food, and they were running out as fast as they could in horror of what was going on.

"He just keeps growing!"

"Just what is he?"

"He's going to eat us all!"

"What're we going to do?"

"Wouldn't it be great if Naraku was eaten next?"

More was yelled out until Kagome finally appeared at the other end of the corridor. Walking right beside her was Hakudoshi, looking both bored and amused. Kagome wasn't so sure if she could trust him… but if he could help her get to Midoriko then she would bear with it.

"Look! It's her!" Everyone was staring at her as she walked towards the room with Shippo and Naraku—with her head held high. She couldn't help but feel like she was walking towards the gallow; but she never backed down. Her mind was long since made up. She was going to face Shippo and Naraku and then go return the jewel to Midoriko and make sure that she won't go after Inu again. And once that was done, she would come back and do something about her family before they all went home… together. No one was going to stop her this time.

Jaken came running to her as she got even closer to the room, but for the first time ever, he looked happy to see her. "Kikyo! Thank God you're here. Naraku's been looking everywhere for you!"

At that moment, crashes were heard from the room as if someone was throwing priceless and breakable objects in a bad tantrum. Almost immediately, Naraku's voice could be heard in a badly performed soothing tone like one might say to a two-year-old throwing his toys around the room, "There's no need to be acting like this."

"What's taking so long?" Shippo's voice screamed out.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Kikyo will be here soon; once my good-for-nothing servants find her that is," he added in a vicious undertone. More crashes and Naraku's voice took its usual hissing and angry tone when he muttered those dark curses.

"Where is Kikyo? I want Kikyo now!" Kagome supposed that this might not have been the best time to make her appearance, but what other choice did she have? Jaken, took her by the hand and pulled her to the door. "He's in here, hurry up! I don't know how much more Naraku can hold him off!"

Jaken pulled her towards the door before stopping in front of it and poking his head into the room, "Kikyo's here, sir."

Naraku was out of the room in a flash. "Finally!" he growled and gave Kagome an ugly look before putting up his calm and polite voice again to address Shippo. "Kikyo will be with you in a few more minutes, I need to say something to her quickly."

Naraku slammed the door shut behind him and gave Kagome a livid look, "He's destroying everything he touches, and it's costing us a fortune! Now go and suck up to him so that you can get every last bit of gold he's…" Naraku's eyes flashed dangerously until he noticed Hakudoshi who was giving him a dirty look.

Naraku's eyes rose slightly and asked, "Who the hell are you, brat?"

Kagome gave him a surprised look, "Huh? He's your… you mean to tell me that he doesn't look familiar to you?" Kagome would've expected at least a part of Naraku to be able to see that this, 'brat' was the baby that he was keeping locked upstairs… but to her greatest relief, he didn't.

"Familiar? Don't be stupid," Naraku snorted and gave them both a downgrading look as if they were nothing but scum on the bottom of his shoes. He shook his head and turning his attention back to Kagome. "Oh, never mind about that, just get in there and get everything of value from him."

He grabbed Kagome forcefully by the arm and practically threw her into the room, Hakudoshi followed her, with a slight smirk on his face. As if he couldn't believe that Naraku was stupid enough to let him go.

Once the door was shut, Kagome looked around her—and she took a line that all mothers say—it looked like a tornado hit this place. It was no lie. When mothers say that to their kids, the worse there is are a few clothes and toys on the floor. Here, there was garbage lying all around them, broken glass, slime, and half-chewed food covering the floors and the walls.

Little Shippo, wasn't so little anymore. He was still disguised as the pink balloon and was floating on the other side of the room. His eyes looked more alive, an evil glint sparking somewhere in the depths. Kagome took a deep breath before sitting opposite the other.

Shippo stared at her, before reaching to one of the plates with food and holding it out to Kagome, "You look hungry, why don't you try some? It's delicious—not as good as pocky is of course, but you can't win all the time." Kagome didn't move a muscle, didn't say a word, and Shippo tossed the plate behind him as he held out a hand that slowly filled itself with gold, "Want some gold like everyone else? I'm not going to give it to anyone besides you."

Again Kagome didn't give any sign that she was going to take what was being offered to her, and Shippo withdrew with disappointment on his face. "Come on, Kikyo. Tell me what you want and I'll get it for you."

"I would like to leave, Shippo," Kagome said calmly to him. "You see, there's someplace that I have to do right now." Images of Inu bleeding and hurt flashed through her mind and her heart felt like it was breaking. Instead, she watched as Shippo withdraw further with a pained expression on his face, as if her words had physically struck him. "You should go back to where you came from as well, Naraku doesn't want you here in the castle. You're scaring everyone and making a real mess of everything."

Shippo withdrew further, almost reaching the wall behind him. Kagome gave the other a questioning look, "Don't you have a home to go to? Where are your family? If you don't have anyone… then why don't you come with me?"

"No, I don't have any family; I don't… have… anyone," Shippo sniffed, but he suddenly rose and stepped closer to Kagome. Kagome rose as well, standing tall, not going to take any threat that was dished out to her anymore. Shippo wasn't a bad person, she could see that… he was just a kid that didn't know better. He must've been alone for a very long time. "Why are you here anyway?" she asked him. "What do you want?"

Shippo once more took a step closer, "I want a mother… I want a family!" His hands stretched out again and gold filled them, "Take the gold and let me stay with you!"

Kagome looked at the offered gold with tears in her eyes, so that was it; why he was doing this. "Why are you eating people then if you want a family?" Shippo had already eaten three of the servants and was obviously after Kagome. What would stop the fox from devouring her and why did he think that would give him a family?

"Just take the gold!" The hands were practically shoved in Kagome's face to force her to take the little gold nuggets in his tiny hands. Kagome looked back with somewhat fearful eyes again, before taking what was left of the medicinal herb from her pocket. She had wanted to give it to her brother and parents, but the greed in the castle was doing something to the fox-child in front of her, and she felt like she needed to help him most of all right now.

Besides, if this didn't work she would surely be eaten. "If you want to eat me, fine, but first I insist you take this. You say that you want a mother? Then I'll try to play that part for you for now. Take this medicine, and don't you dare say no. I was saving it for my family, but I think you should have it."

Kagome held her hand out and approached Shippo carefully, before throwing the tiny bit of leaf into Shippo's open mouth. Shippo slowly swallowed, not realizing what he was eating until it was already in his body. Remember how you have to practically force a little kid to take their medicine and their disgusted faces after swallowing? That's nothing compared to this.

Shippo reacted violently; his body trying to reject what had been put into it but not able to right away. He trashed in pain before throwing up some kind of black sludge, his system trying to get rid of the substance that was causing the pain.

He turned to her, "Kikyo," he whispered.

Kagome took a few steps backwards as Hakudoshi looked unimpressed.

"Kikyo, Kikyo what did you give me?" Another cascade of black sludge left his mouth as he calm closer to her, with his hands outstretched. Kagome's eyes widened, readying herself to run as fast as she could in a second.

Shippo floated a few more inches towards her and Kagome quickly turned and ran with Hakudoshi close behind her. Shippo right behind them both as more sludge spewed from his mouth. They ran into the hallway where all the servants were still gathered, waiting for news of what was happening when they turned and ran at the sight of Shippo. They were shocked to see a sickly looking Shippo chasing a panicked looking Kagome and a sneering Hakudoshi—who was looking like he was having the time of his life. They ran through the hallway, Kagome heading to the place where Sango was meeting her, and hopefully lead Shippo away from the castle.

Naraku glared at the scene as Kagome, Hakudoshi, and Shippo came closer to where he was waiting, "Enough of this, I don't care how much money he has, he's got to go."

Kagome and Hakudoshi ran passed him as he sent a quickly fired a spell that hit Shippo in the stomach. The added pressure only made the fox throw up again, the force of Naraku's spell making the black sludge fly far ahead of him to land on Naraku.

Kagome didn't look back as she continued to run, but she couldn't help but laugh as she heard the string of curses that Naraku was swearing at the top of his lungs of what just happened. It's about time that jerk got what he deserved.

But now she was back to the real problem. She needed to keep going no matter what, and she had to keep running _fast_. She just hoped she could get out of here before Shippo got his hands on her.

Down the staircases of the castle Kagome and Hakudoshi ran. After a few stairs she didn't hear Shippo following her anymore so she turned to see him looking over the railing of the top floor with a sick expression on his face and searching for her. Kagome knew she had to keep his attention on her.

"Hey Shippo! Over here!" Shippo's attention was immediately drawn to her and he started chasing once more. Kagome half wished she hadn't called out, but it was the only thing that she could think of. She ran as fast as she could, turning corners without slowing down or falling. She was nearing the door, she was actually going to make it outside! All she had to make sure now that she wasn't going to…

SMACK!

Run into a wall.

Kagome mentally groaned as she hit the wall opposite one of the stairs; Hakudoshi given her an exasperated look as if he was almost regretting agreeing to come with her. Kagome had tripped on the last step and had run into the wall to catch herself. Kagome quickly shook herself back to full awareness and jumped out of the way just as Shippo crashed into the wall right after her.

Shippo took a few steps back after running head-first into the wall, trying to catch Kagome while he was still dizzy from his own crash. She watched as his stomach lurched once more, still trying to get as much out as possible. And to her amazement, he spit up the two servants that he eaten, not a scratch on them and only a confused and disoriented look on their faces.

Shippo ignored the fact that he had lost two of the three people in his stomach and once more chased after Kagome. The girl was of far more interest to him than any of the other person he had ever met. Greed was how he always got what he wanted before, and he was sure that he could find what he wanted here.

Greed was what people in this world had wanted, so this place drew him here like a moth to a flame. But the girl he wanted right now was the complete opposite of that. No matter what, Kagome had refused to take his gifts unless absolutely necessary. It both intrigued and frustrated him, maybe she could give him what he wanted?

Soon Kagome ran out of the castle and looked over the ocean-like landscape, scanning it for her planned escape. Her attention was drawn as she heard her fake name being called by the familiar voice of her friend. Sango was waiting for her in a small boat just under the bridge with her brother Kohaku.

Rather than the usual work clothes that Kagome was used to seeing them in, Sango was wearing a traveling kimono and apron with a small sack tied around her. But what really got her attention was a large, boomerang-shaped bone also strapped to her back that looked as if it weighted a ton, but Sango was carrying it as if it light as a feather. Kohaku was changed into a bright blue kimono and was carrying a large, sickle-shaped knife on a long chain that looked like it could easily cut a person in half.

Kagome shivered in discomfort. But she ignored it as she leapt into the small boat. Sango wasted no time in paddling to the train tracks. When they were about half-way out, Shippo appeared at the entrance of the castle, looking for them. Kagome hesitated for a second, before calling out to him, "Hey! Shippo! Over here!"

Sango's eyes widened, "Kikyo! Don't call him over now that we finally got out of the castle!" She glanced back at the creature that had done so much damage already.

"I think being in the castle makes him crazy. He just needs to get out of there, he's just a kid," Kagome watched as Shippo approached the water's edge.

"A kid?" Sango repeated incredulously. "Kohaku's a kid."

"Hey!" Kohaku called to his sister.

"Not that I blame him for getting out of that dump," Sango went on. "But even if he does get out of there, where's he going to go?"

"He can't be all bad," Kagome said sadly, thinking of the sad little boy that she saw inside—the boy longing for a family. Sango snorted as she tried to go faster, but then they all heard a splash, and Kagome looked back to see giant ripples where Shippo must've jumped from. "Oh great, now he's following us!"

Kagome shrugged, not really caring anymore as she pulled off her worker clothes to reveal her old clothes underneath. She couldn't express just how good it felt to be back in her favorite outfit. "He won't hurt us, not now he's out of that place."

Shippo was trying to catch up to them. He stood still for a second, for one last time lurching and throwing the toad demon out of his stomach he'd eaten first. Not that he paid any attention to him anymore. In a little poof of pink smoke, the balloon-shape form had disappeared and the little cut fox had reappeared.

Shippo was now sitting on a leaf that was large enough to hold him, and was floating on it like a boat. He then began to sail towards the little boat.

Kagome kept her eyes on the little kit the whole time before she asked Sango, "Sango? Why are you dressed like that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sango asked her annoyed. "We're coming with you."

That got Kagome's attention. She turned her eyes away from Shippo and to her friend. "You can't! You can't leave because of me! Sango, I know that we're friends but…"

"Oh, be quiet," Sango said sternly. "Did you forget that everyone here was forced to work there for who knows how long? We've been working hard to make enough money to leave. But now thanks to you and all the chaos that you caused, we were able to steal enough money to buy some train tickets and our freedom. Miroku bought one as well, but he's staying for a while longer to take care of Inu. But as soon as he recovers, he's coming to find us. Besides…" she said finally, smiling at her. "Like you said, we're friends. You honestly think I let you go on a journey like this on your own?"

Kagome felt tears well up in her eyes as she threw her arms around Sango's neck. "Thank you…" she whispered.

"Kikyo," Sango said with a smile. "Don't mention it. Really, we should be thanking you! If it wasn't for you, we would still be there, working our fingers to the bones."

Kohaku smiled at the cute scene. But Hakudoshi was looking sick. "Ok, hugs all around," he said. "But let's get going before I throw up?"

Sango stuck her tongue out at him, but continued rowing, as Kagome went back to see Shippo coming closer to them.

After a minute or so, Sango stopped rowing and leaned back in the boat with a sigh, "We finally reached the tracks. We have to walk from here on; it's too shallow." Kagome nodded, getting out of the boat closely followed by Kohaku. Sango was the last to get out and gave the boat a kick which went sailing off in the opposite direction. "The train station's just up ahead."

Kagome nodded once more, now standing in the shallow water, and they all started the long hike to the train station. The cold water felt so great on her sore feet as she carried her shoes and socks… she could only hope that the train didn't come before they reached the station. That thought caused her to run the rest of the way to the platform. She didn't have the slightest clue where she was going, but knowing that it had to be better than staying here and doing nothing.

Oh, what luck, the train was already making its way over and stopped in front of Kagome.

The doors opened and Kagome looked at the conductor standing in front of her. She was just wondering what to say when Sango stepped forwards and held out the tickets she'd gotten with a big smile on her face. "We'd like to go to Mount Hakurei please," she said confidently. The conductor took the tickets before glancing at Kagome's feet with a questioning look. Kagome followed his gaze to see Shippo hiding behind her legs.

"Oh," she cooed at the cute little fox as she crouched down low to look at him in the eye. "Would you like to come with us too, Shippo?" Shippo nodded with his face bright red. Kagome smiled as she looked up at Sango, who said, "It's a good think I thought to buy a few extra tickets… just in case."

Kagome gave her another large smile, before Sango turned back to the conductor, "He'd like to come too."

The man nodded and took all the tickets. Kagome and all the others stepped into the train, Shippo jumping up onto Kagome's shoulder like a parrot and clung on tightly.

As the doors closed, the train started to move once more. Kagome looked around, looking for seat, and spotted one not too far. She quickly walked over to it and sat down with a small satisfied smile on her face. So far everything had gone as well as it could've been. Now if only her visit to Midoriko would go just as well.

Sango sat right next to her with Hakudoshi and Kohaku staring out the window, watching the strange shapes fly by. Shippo was looking all around him with a confused look on his face, as if he couldn't believe that he was actually here. Kagome held back a chuckle, "It's ok," she said to him. She felt like a mother telling her child what to do, "Just don't cause any more trouble today okay?"

Shippo only nodded numbly and hung even tighter to her, as if afraid. Sango gave him a suspicious look, but she continued talking happily to Kagome, telling her that as soon as Miroku came—they were going to get married.

Kagome foresaw that the rest of the ride will be of the two of them starting talking about wedding plans.

It was a long ride to Mount Hakurei and Kagome found herself staring out of the window sometimes, but not really taking in much of her surroundings. Her mind was still on Inu and the panic and pain she'd seen in those usually confident eyes. The look didn't suit the other, and Kagome was determined to erase it from his face. All she had to do was convince Midoriko this wasn't Inu's fault, but Naraku's… and hope that she'll listen.


	14. Dark Flare

_**Chapter 14: Dark Flare**_

Inu was groaning softly as he finally found the strength to open his eyes. The burning agony that he had been in had finally faded away to leave nothing but a dull ache—as though he was getting over a severe illness. He blinked and looked around him in confusion, wondering what just happened to him.

He recognized the place he was in. It was Miroku's Shrine, except now there was a giant hole in the ceiling as though someone big and heavy fell through it. The walls were also stained with streaks of dried blood—as thought something had lost a lot of blood and was thrashing around in pain—and Miroku was leaning up against the wall fast asleep.

Miroku looked drained, as though he had been up all night and was only now getting some well-deserved sleep. There was a wooden wash tub sitting next to him with a cloth hanging out, and Inu was picking up the scent of medicine in the water.

A few seconds later, his memories started to come back to him, almost like a dripping faucet, until it broke open and a flood came out. It all came flying back to him. Stealing Midoriko's jewel; the feeling as though it was tearing his body apart from the inside, to the paper Shikigami that were enchanted to chase after him, Kagome's face as she called to him to fly into her room and escape the flock of paper birds before he took off flying to Naraku's office.

And then he remembered how Naraku just told his servants to get rid of him—not even bothering to reclaim the jewel that was still inside him. He remembered hearing Kagome's voice calling out to him to wake up and Midoriko appearing before him as a phantom.

Everything started to get fuzzy after that. He remembered falling through the wind before smashing into something hard and made of wood. He couldn't think much after that, his vision started to go blurry. But he did remember hearing Kagome's voice crying to him, begging him to eat something before he felt something being forced down his throat. Whatever it was, it tasted so foul that he had to throw up everything in his stomach to get it out. After that Inu didn't know what had happened. Where was Kagome? Why was he laying on a makeshift bed with Miroku sitting beside him?

He slowly got up, glad that almost all his pain was gone, before he shook Miroku awake. The other opened his eyes grumpily, about to make a nasty remark but then saw who it was. His friend's eyes widened and he said quietly, "Inu… you're really ok."

"I'm fine, Miroku," Inu told him, though his voice sounded like a creaky door.

He stretched, feeling as though a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders and tried to get up. But before he was back on his feet, Miroku put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Inu, you really shouldn't. You almost bled to death just a few hours ago, so who's to say what's going to happen to you?"

Inu just ignored him. "Miroku, don't bother lecturing me, I need to know what's going on. Where's Kikyo? What happened? Is she alright?"

Miroku grudgingly gave up the urge to yell and calmed himself down. "Don't you remember anything? You blacked out after you fell through the ceiling. You know… when you broke through my ceiling?" He pointed to the giant hole before saying, "You nearly gave me a heart attack! I was just sitting here minding my own business when all of a sudden a giant dog fell through here and was squirting blood everywhere."

Inu frowned at him, not completely understanding what he was talking about. "I remember everything before I fell," he admitted. "It gets pretty hazy after that. I remember falling and breaking through something… but I mostly remember just being in pain and Kikyo trying to help me as best she could…" he trailed off, trying to remember anything after he'd apparently fallen unconscious. "After that I could only hear Kagome's voice talking to me, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. It just…" He searched for the right words, "Her voice just cut through the darkness around me… I just followed her voice and into a sea of light. And next thing I know, I'm just waking up here. I don't remember anything else that happened."

_*Miroku*_

Miroku chuckled softly and smirked, "Looks like you two are far deeper in love than even I thought."

At Inu's startled look, Miroku's smirk widened. "Since you don't remember, I'll tell you. Kagome forced you to eat part of a medicinal herb that made you spit up the Sacred Jewel that was slowly killing you. After that, she decided to take the jewel back to Mirdoriko so that she will forgive and heal you. But if you ask me, I don't think you need it now."

He got up and walked around Inu and began to pack items into a large bag.

"What are you doing?" he asked the monk.

"What's it look like?" he asked good-naturedly. "I'm finally leaving. With everything that happened today, me and Sango were able to steal enough money to buy our tickets and our freedom. Kohaku and Sango already left with Kagome. I promised to stay here and look after you until you recovered. Though if you ask me, it looks like you never needed it."

He gave him a look of smugness before saying, "Looks like our young human friend was able to do something that no one ever had and stole your heart."

"What are you talking about?" Inu snapped at him.

"Well," Miroku said as he put a few old scrolls into his bag. "We both know there's only one kind of magic that can break a curse that strong." Miroku watched as Inu's face shifted from the skeptical look, to one of realization, to disbelief, to one akin to joy in his eyes.

He watched as Inu suddenly jumped up and started walking to the door that led to the elevator. "I need to go have a talk with Naraku."

"I really wouldn't do that right now," he called to his friend in warning. "Naraku's in a particularly bad mood right now. I don't think that he wants to see anyone after what happened today."

Inu just ignored him. If he knew Naraku as well as he thought he did, then he was planning something terrible for Kagome and he had to stop him.

Miroku didn't say anything as Inu led the way out of the shrine; but amusement was now shining in his black eyes. He pitied Naraku now that Inu had finally found a good reason to start fighting back. After all, when you fight from the heart, you can't lose.

He followed Inu all the way up the elevators and to Naraku's office. He couldn't wait to see what happens here. Inu already had a plan.

_*Inuyasha*_

This was bad. If he didn't do something, then Naraku was sure to go after Kagome and make her pay for what happened.

He had to put a stop to it.

And all he has to do is make Naraku see that if he did something to Kagome, he would lose something very precious as well. As they finally reached the top floor, he felt his heart beginning to beat once again… why on earth did he have to fall in love with a human girl that he barely knew? Or maybe that wasn't completely untrue… he must know her somehow. How else could he have known her name?

Why did it feel as though he met her someplace long ago and had forgotten about it?

He shook his head, he would worry about that later. They finally reached the office and Inu could hear Naraku ranting about the damage that Shippo had caused and how Kagome—or Kikyo as Naraku was calling her—was to be punished. To his surprise, he could also hear several members of the staff trying to contradict him. Trying to defend Kagome without getting themselves killed. Naraku simply continued his rant, now starting to threaten Kagome's family.

"Her parents should be about ready to eat by now. Go make some bacon out of them. As for the brother, he's still a little too small to be eaten, but I'm sure that you can make a nice football or something out of him."

Inu's eyes narrowed at the words and he stepped into the room, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he called out. Naraku jerked his head around to look at him in surprise, obviously having expected him to be dead by now. Naraku was sitting in a large golden chair, dressed in his favorite black robes while a few of the servants cowered at his feet, as if they were afraid that they would be turned into animals if they stood up. Which, he reminded himself, could happen.

He glanced over the room once, and he saw the form of the sleeping baby in the corner of the room before looking back at Naraku and smirked at the look of stunned disbelief on his face as Miroku grinned and leaned up against the door with his bag slung over his shoulder and enjoying the view.

"You're still alive? What do you want?" Naraku didn't seem to care much whether he was or wasn't alive, but Inu no longer cared. It wasn't as if they had ever really gotten along anyway.

Naraku then noticed the monk and said, "What are you doing here, monk?" Naraku said to him coldly. "Aren't you supposed to be slaving away in the shrine on the bottom floor?"

"Ah, normally I would be," Mirokus grinned. "But seeing how I will no longer be working here, I see no point on working in there any longer. I just came here to say goodbye."

"What do you mean _goodbye_?" Naraku said, his anger starting to rise again.

"I mean," Mirokus said calmly, before pulling out a large bag of gold from his pocket. "We quit. Me, Sango, and Kohaku have all finally earned enough money to get out of his dump." He tossed the bag of money to a stunned looking Naraku before finishing up by saying, "Our agreement was that the three of us would work here until we earned enough money to buy our freedom and our train tickets. Count it all out if you don't believe me, but it's all there. Looks like you're going to be needing a new monk for your shrine."

Naraku was looking furious, he opened his mouth—no doubt to shout a curse at Miroku, before Inu stepped in and said, "So you lost a monk, who cares? Haven't you noticed that something else isn't here?"

"Don't talk nonsense," Naraku snapped at him as he continued to glare at Miroku.

"You mean that you haven't noticed?" Inu asked, ignoring the glare that Naraku was suddenly giving him because of his lack of respect. "You mean to tell me that you still haven't noticed that something precious to you has been replaced?"

"Where did you get that smart mouth all of a sudden? Since when do you talk to me like that?" Inu stared at him unwavering, his hatred for the demon sitting in that chair growing with each second. "Since right now," he told him, looking ready to tear him apart. Naraku narrowed his eyes on him in suspicion before glancing around the room.

At first he didn't notice anything. His insects were gone, not that he cared or anything—they were easy to replace. His heart, still incased inside the Akago was still here as he looked to the baby that was still sleeping. So what was the half-breed talking about?

Naraku looked back into Inu's eyes, trying to see the answer in them but Inu kept his look carefully closed; Naraku couldn't find anything that he was missing.

The noise of Akago was now making some strange choking noises in the corner which drew his attention. He glanced at the infant for a few seconds, before realizing that Akago would've thrown a few insults at him by now. He had never gone this long without talking before.

With one swift movement, Naraku tried to break any possible spell on the infant. It immediately opened his eyes, frozen for a second, before Mōryōmaru sprouted up in his place. Naraku's eyes widened in horror as he watched the empty shell of a demon fell to the ground before them all and moved no more.

Naraku's mouth opened and closed for a couple of times, as if trying to say something but being unable to get his vocal cords to work properly, before jumping out of his chair in rage. The gold he had managed to get off Shippo scattered over the floor before turning into leaves as he practically flew off.

The workers of the staff stared at it in disbelief, "What happened? They're just leaves!"

Naraku didn't even hear that. He was frantically running through his office and to the nursery, trying to find the one thing that kept him alive. That baby held his heart! And if Akago died… he shuddered at the thought… he would die as well. After calling out, listening for the slightest insult for some time and not finding it no matter where he looked, he turned to Inu with a furious look in his eyes.

"You!" The word was hissed and a shadowy aura formed around Naraku, displaying just how enraged he really was. "You know where he is! Where's that infant!" Naraku rushed over, his hair even wilder than before and the shadowy aura of Miasma burning around him menacingly. Inu didn't even flinch the slightest bit. He simply stood there, for the first time in his life, being calm and collectice as he stared straight back into Naraku right in the eyes.

"He's with your sister," his tone was casual, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Something it was definitely not, considering that the infant had never left Naraku's office before.

"Midoriko?" Naraku's temper slowly calmed down, the aura disappearing as his rage left him. He stepped back and walked over to his desk, sitting down in his chair as he stared at Inu with hatred. "I get it, very smart Inu. You'll get my heart back if I do something for you. What is it you want?"

Inu still stared at him unblinkingly, "Tear up Kikyo's contract and return her and her family to the human world." It hurt Inu to say this, knowing he'd fallen in love with the girl, but he also knew Kagome didn't belong here, and wouldn't be happy in his regardless if she loved him.

"That's all?" Naraku smirked dangerously, "Fine. But… seeing how I am still her boss, I get to give the bitch one last test. If she fails, she's mine… forever."

**(Glad this chapter's finally done. In fact, rejoice! This story is almost over! I would guess at least four or five more chapters to go! Hope you all enjoyed it, and hopefully the next one will be a little longer.)**


	15. Arriving by Train

_**Chapter 15: Arriving by Train**_

It was pitch black by the time Kagome and the others finally got off the train at their stop. She, Sango, Kohaku, Hakudoshi, and Shippo exited the train and watched as it disappeared along the tracks, heading onwards to its next stop, curling like a snake. Kagome pulled her jacket a bit closer as a breeze passed by and sent shivers up her spine. She looked around at the darkened grounds; and despite the dark could just see the forms of her surroundings.

Despite that fact that it was night, she could make out the images of beautiful flowers skimmed the ground every few feet alongside the foot of a large mountain that looked as if it was made from the purest of crystal.

Beautiful… there was no other word for it.

But to her it didn't seem to be the type of place that Madoriko would live.

"You guys think this is the right stop?" she asked them, before noticing that Shippo was shivering. She smiled as she picked him up and tucked him inside her jacket as well to keep him warm. He just nodded to her in thanks before she turned back to Sango, who was still looking at the little fox with distrust.

"We should be," she answered. "This _is_ the fifth stop."

She turned to Hakudoshi and asked, "So now what are we supposed to do?"

Kagome continued to glance around as Shippo clung to her, he seemed too scared to say anything… or maybe he was still recovering from his experience after eating that medicinal herb.

After a while they all knew that they couldn't stand there like idiots forever, so they started walking along the darkened, dirt road to who knows where.

They walked for a little while until a squeaking noise caught their attention and they all looked into the darkness to see a small light bobbing over to them. Sango and Kohaku reached for their weapons while Shippo clung tighter to her. Hakudoshi was looking bored again as the light came nearer.

A minute later, the thing that was coming toward them carrying the little light was… a hand? She wasn't seeing things… it was a disembodied hand that was attached to a long pole which a small lantern swung from it. Kagome was oddly surprised at finding the sight normal instead of strange and felt the need to shake her head hard. She really has been trapped in this world for far too long.

The hand hopped over to them and stopped just a few feet away, making them all look at it before it turned around and starting to hop into a direction again. Kagome glanced around for a second before she shrugged and starting to follow the disembodied limb with the others behind her. She had an feeling that following a hand without a body wasn't a good idea, but hey, what else could she do?

Sango was looking around anxiously, never removing her own hand from her weapon as Hakudoshi let out a yawn.

"Are we there yet?" Kohaku asked.

"Does it look like we're there yet?" Hakudoshi asked annoyed. "No, so shut up!"

"Don't talk to my brother like that!" Sango suddenly snapped.

And they were off. Arguing and insulting each other… Kagome just held tightly onto Shippo and whispered, "Don't mind them… they're always like this."

They walked on through the darkness; following the light of the lantern as it led them to what Kagome was hoping to be Madoriko's house. Also… worried about what she was going to do once she finally got there.

After a while a small shrine indeed came into sight. Kagome walked right by the lantern, which stopped in its tracks and she looked away to stare at the small outline of the building. When she looked back, the hand had vanished into the darkness, the trees around them obscuring the light the lantern gave off. Kagome assumed the shrine belonged to Madoriko and the hand had left since it was no longer needed.

At least, that's what she hoped.

And she was also hoping that Madoriko was in much a better mood than she saw this morning.

Kagome took several deep breaths before she finally approached the house, timidly stretching her hand out to knock on the door. But as she reached out and was less than half an inch away from the dark wood, it suddenly slid open.

"Come in," said a cool voice that Kagome recognized immediately as Madoriko's… though she was relieved to hear that it was much calmer than it had sounded back in Naraku's office. Kagome looked down at her friends, Kohaku was now looking nervous as his hand twitched around his weapon and Sango was looking much more worried than before. Shippo still clung tightly to Kagome like he expected her to take care of him.

Smiling, she hugged him close as she boldly walked into the house, everyone trailing behind her but standing on the threshold—looking around them as if they expected someone to jump out and start attacking them. "Well come on, I'm not getting any younger you know?"

Kagome smiled a little at the joking manner Madoriko was now talking in, before turning back to the others, "Come on," she said comfortably.

Still looking hesitate, they complied and stepped into the house as well right behind her. The shrine doors suddenly closed on its own again after them all.

Kagome smiled before walking into the direction Madoriko's voice had come from. She entered a small room with a large golden statue of Buddha was sitting there, and Madoriko was kneeling in front of the shrine, not even bothering to look up at them as they entered.

"So you finally got here huh?" she asked after a few seconds of silence, still not looking up at them. "I was beginning to wonder if something had gone wrong. I'd made you all some tea there if you want some." Kagome blinked in surprise as she suddenly noticed a small table in the corner with a teapot and several cups sitting around it with some rice-balls sitting on a plate for them all. Shippo finally looked up from where he was hiding his face in Kagome's shirt and sniffed the air eagerly.

Before she could say or do anything else, he jumped down from her arms and raced over to where the food was. Kohaku also went running over to get some food as well and Sango practically had to strangle him as she reached over and took hold of the collar of his clothes to keep him where he was.

Madoriko got up from where she knelt and blew out her burning incense before she also headed over to the table and began to pour some into the cups just as Shippo shoved a whole rice ball into his mouth.

"Is Jasmine tea alright with all of you?" she asked as she took a sip of her own cup.

Kagome silently nodded; stunned that Madoriko was acting so civil towards them all despite how she acted just this morning back at the castle. Kagome shook herself from her stupor and went to sit down besides the priestess as Hakudoshi turned and left the room to look outside as Sango and Kohaku took their time looking around the room. Kagome, knowing what she had to do now, took a deep breath and dug the bright jewel from her pocket. "Er, Miss Madoriko? I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I came to return this. It's what Inu took from you isn't it?"

Madoriko looked up and at Kagome's outstretched hand at her jewel, still brimming with the magic it possessed.

"I see," she said as she reached over and took the jewel before she began juggled it between her hands and look at it critically. "Do you even really know what this is?" she asked her as if she was talking to someone who no idea how valuable their old antique that belonged to their grandmother was.

"Yeah, it's the Sacred Jewel that you were looking for when you were in Naraku's office. I also came to apologize for Inu. I'm sorry that Inu was such an idiot and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive him." Kagome bowed her head in respect. "When I left him he was on the brink of death. He lost so much blood… so if you could…"

Madoriko just snorted. "He sliced me in two you know, and I'm still angry about that. Imagine a bad paper cut across your body. Very painful." Madoriko took a closer look at her jewel as Kagome fought back the tears. Coming here and asking the priestess for help had been her last hope to save Inu… but now she was at the end of the road. Inu was probably dead by now and her family eaten. As the hot tears fell down her face, Madoriko looked up from studying the jewel frowned and asked her with interest, "You mean to tell me that my protective spell is gone? I put that curse on the jewel so the one who steals it is supposed to die."

Kagome bit her lip nervously, "I'm sorry; you mean that insect that was on it? We kinda killed it." She ducked her head slightly as she flushed in embarrassment. Her embarrassment soon faded though as she heard Madoriko laughing softly.

"Really?" she burst out in full laughter at the idea. "You just killed it? That wasn't my insect, girl! Naraku put that bug into Inu so he could make Inu do whatever he wanted. And you killed it?" Madoriko once more burst into laughter, unable to control herself. Kagome herself stared at her, not understanding what was so funny.

After she had calmed down some more, Madoriko wiped away the tears in her eyes and gave her a interested look. "Now then, tell me, just what happened to my spell? Only true love can break it, you know." She gave Kagome a suspicious look as the other blushed and looked away as she covered her cheeks with her hands to try and hide it. A smirk came onto Madoriko's face, "Well, that's another mystery solved. I can hear the wedding bells already."

Kagome spluttered in protest, trying to find the right words but Madoriko just laughed at her as she poured some tea into her cup. At last Kagome found her senses coming back to her so she said coldly, "I hate to break this to you, but Inu doesn't even like me that way!"

Madoriko rolled her eyes as she drank her tea and Shippo was helping himself to some more rice balls, "As I said before… only true love could've caused that spell to break. And when I say true love, I mean that both must love the other? Now come on Juliet," she finished as she stood up and left the room.

Kagome flushed a deeper red but followed Madoriko back to shrine nonetheless to where everyone else was making themselves comfortable. She needed a change of subject, and she needed one fast.

"Can you heal, Inu?" she winced, not a good way to change the subject.

Madoriko glanced at her and raised an eyebrow, "That all depends on Inu." Madoriko shrugged as she plopped down on a large pillow near and motioned for Kagome and her guests to sit down as well. "Any other questions?"

"Well…" Sango hesitated for a second, "What is it between you and Naraku? I mean, he ordered Inu to steal from you and all…"

Madoriko sighed, "I'm afraid that he and I never saw eye to eye. He's obsessed with power and money while I'm quite happy to live like I am now," she gestured to the simple shrine around her. "Even though it's kind of lonely. In short, we really don't get along."

Kagome smiled, "Yeah, I figured that much." That was when she heard a faint meow. She looked down, and felt her jaw drop. Buyo was sitting there at her feet and purring loudly at the sight of her.

"BUYO!" she screamed as she bent down and picked him up to hug him close. She hadn't seen him since the night that she and her family came here. She had been so worried about him…

"I take it you know this guy?" Madoriko asked shrewdly. "I found him outside my front door several weeks ago. He's been staying here with me ever since."

"He's our pet," she explained before looking at Sango who was smiling at her. "I told you about him didn't I, Sango?" she asked quickly. "I was so worried when I lost him…"

She quickly told Madoriko what happened before she hugged Buyo close to her again and said, "Thank you for taking care of him."

Madoriko smiled, "It's no problem," she answered. "You are free to take him back if you want. But first… I wish to hear the rest of your story…" she took a sip of tea, "How you came to be here."

Kagome sat down as Buyo curled up on her lap and went to sleep. She sat back as she had her tea, before telling Madoriko what had happened since she'd gotten in this world. Madoriko listened silently until Kagome was done before commenting.

"So," Madoriko chuckled a bit. "Let's see if I got this straight. You and your family were moving to this town when your father got lost and you found the entrance to the Spirit World. Got trapped to work as a servant in that ugly castle, had your parents and little brother turned into pigs, and to top it all off, you fell in love with a guy that you barely even know. My, isn't your life interesting?"

Kagome sulked at Madoriko's words, the ones about Inu especially, "I do know Inu. Actually, it feels like I've met him somewhere before…" she trailed off, remembering the daydream she'd had when Inu and her fell to the boiler room. The safe feeling that had washed over her before she'd snapped out of that dream reminded her so much of all the times Inu had been next to her.

Madoriko just raised an eyebrow before shrugging, "Simple enough then. You probably have met him somewhere before, but for some reason, you just can't quite remember. Give it some time." Madoriko grinned, "And while you're thinking, I'm going to steal your friends for a while to help me with something real quick."

"What?" Kohaku groaned. "We have to work?"

"You should be used to it," Madoriko said back. "Besides, if you want to stay here until your sister and that man of hers get their own place then you're going to have to earn your keep."

She got up and said, "Follow me!"

Sango, looking less suspicious got up and followed her as Shippo and Kohaku did the same. Leaving Kagome alone with Buyo to think about her words.

_*Some time later*_

Kagome stared unseeingly as she tried to figure out what Madoriko had meant. She let out a sigh as she finally snapped out of her daze and glanced around her. Madoriko and everyone else… except for Hakudoshi who was now looking out the window with bored expression, were all in the other room working on something.

For how long, she didn't know. She was too lost in her own thoughts.

After a while, Madoriko came back into the room, Kagome had thought hard about the memory she'd had just that morning. She was convinced it really was a memory, not just some daydream she'd had. The thing was… she didn't know what it meant. She groaned in annoyance and rubbed her temple. Why was it so hard to remember something?

Sango and Kohaku both came in right after the priestess, both of them with small smiles on their faces with Shippo carrying something behind his back.

"Madoriko?" Kagome said looking up at them all. "I just don't know. I can't remember _anything_." She stood up and began to pace the room in worry. "I mean, Inu could've died and I'm sitting here doing absolutely nothing!" Small tears appearing in her eyes as she thought of Inu being dead. Who knew what might've happened to the other by now? "And my family could've been eaten even. I'm sure that Naraku's furious with me by now…"

Madoriko sighed as she but her hand on Kagome's shoulder, "Relax dear, and wait just a bit longer. I'm sure he's fine since you broke the protective spell that was killing him."

Kagome bit her lip as she looked up again, "Are you sure I broke it? I mean, you said…" she trailed off. If it was true then it meant that Inu did loved her, but that just couldn't be.

Could it?

But how? Even if it felt like they met somewhere before, they still barely knew each other… and yet she still loved him. It didn't make any sense at all.

Madoriko grinned at Kagome's slight blush, "I said that he'd have to love you for it to work. Now, if you would put your denial aside for a bit, we have a guest." Just as Madoriko had said it, the wind around the house picked up and the shrine rattled with the force of the gust. Kagome glanced at the door curiously.

"Wonder who it is?" Madoriko grinned evilly as she pushed Kagome towards the door.

"Go check for yourself." Kagome ignored the look on Madoriko's face. Madoriko obviously knew who was behind the door and seeing as she wasn't worried, it couldn't be Naraku or something. That, or Madoriko wanted her dead after all. Kagome very much hoped it wasn't the latter.

**(Sorry for the long wait. But this story is almost over and I hope you are enjoying it.)**


	16. Catch me… I've fallen for you

_**Chapter 16: Catch me… I've fallen for you**_

Kagome forced open the heavy, wooden door… and as soon as she did, a great wind whipped through her, blowing her hair and clothes like sails. She poked her head out the door and her eyes widened at the two figures standing there just a few yard away.

The first was a beaming Miroku, carrying a large sack over his shoulder and was looking happier than she had ever seen him. But her eyes went immediately to Inu, who was in his dog form. His eyes were shining with a strong and healthy life… his once blood-stained fur, were now clean and silky as it shone brightly in the moonlight. Kagome felt her eyes tear up at the sight of him and before she could stop herself, went dashing out to him.

"Inu!" she screamed just as Inu's dog form melted away once more to leave his him standing there, on two legs. He smiled as she ran into his waiting arms, hugging him tightly. She felt so warm and safe in his strong embrace as he held her to him tightly and gasped out a little hysterically, "Inu! You're alive! You have no idea how worried I was! I thought for sure that you were…"

"Shh, I'm fine. Keh, I can't believe that you've been worrying so much about me," Inu chuckled as Kagome just hugged him even tighter than before. Just glad that he was here and alive… so relieved, that she didn't even notice Sango's shouts of joy as she ran to Miroku and flung her arms around him. "You should've been more worried about yourself," Inu told her.

Slowly, Kagome raise her face out of his chest—tears still shining—making her vision burry, as she gazed back at him. It was then she noticed the coldness in his eyes was now gone. As thought they had been covered with frost and had melted to bring back a warm golden pair of orbs that sparkled with life. Without noticing it, she suddenly stood on her tippy-toes as she brought her face closer to his.

At that moment, he was also slowly leaning down to her face…

"Why am I suddenly feeling a little left out?" said a familiar voice which caused them both to pull away instantly, but Inu's grip on Kagome tightening in a protective manner as he stared at a grinning Madoriko who was standing in the doorway. She was smiling at Sango and Miroku—who both had their lips locked together in an almost hungry kiss—before she looked back at Inu.

"Don't worry," she said to Inu's protective figure. "If I was going to hurt her, I would've done it the moment she got here." She pushed away from the door frame she'd been leaning against and approached the two, Kagome turning in Inu's arms to face him with a bright smile on her face.

"Now then," Madoriko said turning her full attention onto Inu. "I'll make this short and sweet. I'll forgive you for stealing my precious jewel and for all the trouble you've caused me… only because I know Naraku made you steal it, but you better not try anything like that again." Madoriko gave Inu a quick glare, before smiling at Kagome. "And of course… take care of this young girl."

Kagome blushed as she leaned her head against Inu's strong chest and smiled as she felt him nod. Inu just tightened his grip again, looking better than she had ever seen her.

"Inu, what happened to you?" Kagome couldn't help but ask him as she stared up at him.

"Not much to say," he admitted as the two lovebirds continued their snogging, only now Hakudoshi, Shippo, and Kohaku were both looking a little sick at that. "When I woke up, I was lying in that bed feeling better than I had in a long time. Miroku filled me in on what happened, and so I brought him here to his wife-to-be."

The couple had finally stopped kissing and was now in a loving embrace. Madoriko looked at them knowingly and walked towards them… and struck up a conversation. While they were all focused on her, Inu seized his chance and pulled Kagome around to the side of the house where no one could see them.

"Miroku told me what you risked for me," he said quietly once they were out of sight and he was looking at her.

Kagome felt herself going red again and whispered, "It's nothing special. You helped me and I helped you…"

"Is that all?" he asked, frowning slightly. "Is that the only reason you wanted to help me so much? Because I helped you?"

"NO!" she said quickly, and blushed again as she looked away. "No… it wasn't…"

"Then?" he asked her.

"Oh, I don't know…" she whimpered and leaned her head against his warm chest. She could hear his heartbeat, steadily pounding beneath his skin. Softly, gently, two clawed fingers were placed under her chin, making her look up at him, his eyes now a thousand times more golden and vibrant than she had seen just a few minutes ago. He smiled down at her, and the tears finally spilled over.

She looked at him full in the face before she felt the dizziness clouding her mind again. She would have been completely lost in his spell if he hadn't been blinking. He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her lips and her knees gave out. He wrapped his arm around her waist and stopped her from falling.

"Thank you…" she croaked out in just the slightest whisper, raising her face up to him… He in turn, slowly leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss—that was when she felt the electric charge pulsing through her like lightening. She could swear that she felt the ground move underneath her feet as she leaned in to the kiss… gentle, tender, almost heartbreakingly loving. There was nothing more perfect than that moment.

She had always planned on saving her first kiss for someone special… most particularly if that person would be someone whom she would love with every fiber of her being. Kissing him was like riding a rollercoaster. She feel like she was skyrocketing upward, going higher, higher, higher… HIGHER into the clouds. And then when they finally pulled their lips apart… gravity settled in. After a few seconds of Cloud Nine, her feet hit the ground, sometimes rather roughly, and the ride was over.

He pulled away from her and pressed their foreheads together.

"Wow," they both whispered simultaneously.

"Beautiful…" he whispered and Kagome could only shut her eyes and leaned against him… agreeing completely.

"Inu?" called Kohaku's voice and it brought them back to reality. "Kikyo? Where did you two go?"

Inu snapped out of it and pulled her back to the front yard to where everyone was standing. Miroku and Sango seemed to be content in each other's arms, as Kohaku—looking a little sick, but happy at the same time—looked at his sister. Hakudoshi was talking to Madoriko as Shippo's eyes fixed meaningfully on Kagome as they approached. She watched him gulp slightly as he came running forward and held out a long, white strip of ribbon. "For you…" he whispered.

Blinking in surprise, she bent down and took what he had and it turned out to be a hair band. It was creamy white in color and seemed to sparkle in the bright moonlight… she let it flow through her fingers… it felt so familiar… as if looking at it brought back all the good memories that she had with her friends while she was here in the Spirit World.

"Oh… Shippo!" she cooed as she ran her fingers over the material… soft as silk, and light as a feather. "It's beautiful!" as soon as she said those words, a wide grin broke out on his face and he jumped into her arms. She hugged him tightly. "Oh, thank you! I love it!"

Madoriko heard her and turned her smiling face to her. "I'm glad… everyone where has been working on it since you got here."

Kagome looked up at the pleased faces of Sango and Kohaku… but Hakudoshi was now looking bored again and Madoriko said looking at him, "Well, almost everyone."

That suddenly reminded Kagome of her big problem… her kiss with Inu had driven it out of her mind. "MOM! DAD! SOTA!" she screamed so loudly that she made everyone jump. "I forgot! How could I? I mean they must be…"

She couldn't finish the horrible thought. The idea that her family had eaten and served with a side of mash potatoes or eggs…

Miroku recovered first and waved his hand at her. "Kikyo, it's alright! As soon as Inu woke up, he went to go and confront Naraku about it. Naraku has agreed to let you and your family go back to your own world under two conditions."

"What conditions?" Kagome demanded quickly, tightening her hold on Shippo, who was looking up at her worriedly. "What does he want from me?"

"First," Inu said suddenly. "He wants the kid returned." He looked up at Hakudoshi, who had his eyebrows raised in an un-impressed way. "I'm guessing that's you?" he asked in a annoyed way.

"What of it?" he answered. "Look, I don't care who you think you are… I'm not going back to Naraku."

"Why should you fear him?" Madoriko asked all of a sudden. "He wouldn't dare hurt you would he? Why not take this chance to get him back for all the years of imprisonment?"

Hakudoshi was now looking faintly tempted by that, but said, "No thanks… you're going to have to try harder than that."

"OK," Madoriko said as she thought for a moment, "How about if you don't go back, I turn you back into a baby?"

That got his attention, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Just go back to Naraku and stay there until she leaves with her family," Madoriko stated. "And once they're gone, you're free to do and go whatever you want. Who knows, while you're there, you might be able to raise a little hell at the castle."

Hakudoshi thought that over and said, "I never liked that castle anyway… I've always wanted to do a little ah… re-decorating…"

Kagome was willing to bet that when he said re-decorating, he meant destroying. But she would worry about that later. "Ok," she said, drawing everyone's attention back onto her. "So bringing Hakudoshi back is one of the conditions…" she looked up at Inu and asked, "What's the second?"

"You have to pass one final test," he explained to her.

"What test?" she asked as Buyo came out of the house and stopped at her feet. "What does he want me to do?"

"No idea," inu explained. "But he agreed that if you do pass it, then he promises to restore your family to their human forms and send you all back home. But you have to be back at the castle by the time the sun has risen… or else the deals off."

Kagome gasped as she looked up at the setting moon. "That doesn't give us a lot of time! The sun'll be rising soon!"

"Oh, I can get us back by then," he informed her. "But we have to go now."

Kagome gave him a desperate look as she turned back to Madoriko and the others. Sango's eyes were tearing up, and Kagome felt her own doing the same. If this was real… then it meant that she might not ever see her friends again. She couldn't believe that she finally had a chance to go back… to see her family again, that was what she wanted the moment that she arrived in this world… but now that she was finally here, she didn't want to leave them.

Sango burst into tears and ran to her and Kagome hugged her back. Shippo squished between them as he also held tightly onto her. "You have to go," Sango whispered to her as she pulled away. "If you don't take this chance now, then you might never get another."

"But…" Kagome began but Sango interrupted her.

"No," she shook her head. "I want you to stay, I believe me… but you belong with your family."

"You're my family now too!" Kagome cried as she held onto Sango's sleeve.

Sango wiped the tears away and forced a smile. "Don't worry about us. I know that we'll see you again someday. But for now, you have to return back to your world. Your family needs you now and you have to take care of them. If you don't leave now, then you'll never see them again."

Kagome gulped as she nodded. "Ok," she whispered. "Ok…"

"Besides," Sango said, her hand trailing alongside the hair band that Kagome was still holding. "Me, Kohaku, and Shippo had been working on this for you. This way, you'll always have a piece of us even when you return back to the human world. Consider this a promise that we'll meet up again."

Kagome nodded bravely, but then looked around her, she wanted to give her friends something to remember her by, but she didn't have anything else but the clothes on her back. Miroku noticed this and came forward. "You don't need to give us anything else, Kikyo," he told her smiling. "You'd already given us more than we could ever hope for. You gave us our freedom."

"I don't…" Kagome began but Kohaku finally spoke up.

"If you never showed up, then the three of us would still be working our fingers to the bone as servants," he said. "Thanks to you, we were finally able to buy our freedom and are now here."

"And if it wasn't for you," Inu whispered into her ear, "I wouldn't be standing here."

Kagome blushed at his closeness and Miroku finished up, "None of us would be here if it wasn't for you Kikyo. You couldn't have given us a greater gift if you tried."

Kagome wasn't sure what else to say as she looked down at her feet and smiled she could still feel her heart warming at the sight of them. She was going to miss them, but she knew that she could never forget them… and somehow, she also knew that she would see them again one day. She nodded to them all and wiped the tears away. "Ok," she told them all.

Madoriko looked up at the sky and said, "You better hurry up with the goodbyes. The sun will have risen by the time you finally leave."

Kagome nodded again as she hugged Sango one last time. "Thank you all for everything, Sango. You're like a sister to me. I'm going to miss all of you."

"We all feel the same way, Kikyo," Sango told her.

"Spare me," Hakudoshi said as he walked away from them. "I'll be getting a head start if you don't mind." At that moment, a strange pinkish barrier appeared around him and he slowly started to levitate off the ground. He looked back at them and said, "I'm starting to get used to this body. I'm sick of all these goodbyes. Catch up if you can."

A few more seconds later, he was in the air and was soon out of sight. Kagome shook her head at him, "I guess he wants to get this over with."

"We should go as well," Inu said as he walked a few feet away from them. Kagome smiled at him as he then transformed into his dog state again so he could fly Kagome back to Naraku. Kagome turned around to face the others.

"And another thing," she said looking at them all. "I want you all to know my real name… it's Kagome…"

"Kagome," Sango said quietly as she let the new name sink in. "It suits you. Better than Kikyo anyway."

"A unique name," Miroku nodded as he gave Kagome a brief hug goodbye, "A unique name for a unique young woman."

Kagome laughed at that as she then hugged Kohaku. "Thank you… all of you for everything."

Madoriko waved it off, "No problem, this will annoy Naraku to no end and I just love doing that anyway." Shippo suddenly jumped up right behind Inu's ear and said, "Let's go!"

"Shippo…?" Kagome began as she picked up Buyo, who was meowing loudly.

"I want to go with you… please?" he asked as he sat on top of Inu. "I don't want to say goodbye just yet.

Kagome sighed, "Well, I don't see the harm in it." He cheered as she then jumped onto Inu's back.

Madoriko then turned to the little family with a thoughtful look, "You can all stay here if you want… at least until you all get a home of your own. I use a little more help around the shrine."

"You are too kind, my lady," Miroku said with a bow as he wrapped a arm around Sango's waist and pulled her close.

"Good, then that's settled…" She turned back to Kagome and whispered, "Though I don't think that I'll be getting any sleep with these two lovebirds around. Now, you should get going, Kagome. And I hope my brother will let you and your family go. Good luck." Kagome nodded in gratitude as she took hold of his thick fur.

"Thank you for everything, all of you! I'll be waiting for the day we meet up again! Bye!" Kagome waved as Inu rose into the air and started to fly once again. Kagome held on tightly, her arms wrapped securely around his neck as they gained speed. The moonlit sky and sparkling stars cast everything in a beautiful glow as Kagome, with Buyo on her back, and Shippo up front in her arms, stared around them in wonder.

It was like she was dreaming again.

At that moment, Kagome's vision was replaced with the memory—like what happened when she had been falling with Inu before. A dark night was around her, a field of stars was below as she was being carried through the sky.

_*Flashback*_

"_W-Who are you?" Kagome asked._

_The boy stopped walking and turned to Kagome and held out his hand to her. Kagome looked his hand then back to the boy._

"_Do you want me to come with you?" she asked._

_He remained silent but Kagome understood. Even thought she had been told many times to not go with any strangers, but how many strangers come into your bedroom in the middle of the night?_

_The boy suddenly climbed out of the window and disappeared, Kagome gasped as she ran over to look out, expecting to see him lying below her two-story window. But as she reached the sill, she ended up jumping back when the boy, hanging upside down from the roof, his arms holding out to Kagome._

"_We going for a-a ride?" she asked timidly._

_The boy could only nod. _

_Happiness seemed to spread throughout Kagome's body. Finally, she could see the world from outside these four walls… finally she could have something that wasn't sick._

"_Okay," Kagome said happily. "Oh, wait!" she turned to her bed and grabbed her teddy bear before she ran back to the window. She reached out and allowed the boy to take her up and into his arms; she managed to hang on to the boy as he pulled them up so they both were on the roof._

"_Where are we going?" she then asked._

_The boy bent down and Kagome instantly climbed up and onto his back._

"_Piggyback!" Kagome cheered as they walked along the roof. Then the boy jumped to another roof, as easily as if he was jumping off the bed; making Kagome cling to him in case she fell. She shut her eyes tightly in fear but when the boy landed gently on the other side and began running, as if he was weightless, she reopened them. _

_And she gasped in wonder._

_The evening sky was clear and full of stars with a large full moon shining, bathing everything in a low light. Kagome held to the boy tightly and so they carried on, jumping from one roof to another. Over the buildings and the few streetlamps, the wind blowing so hard that it was whistling in Kagome's ears, but soft enough that it was like it was singing her a lullaby. _

_As they jumped, it could almost be called flying, everything swirled around them in a colorful… well… blob at the edge of her vision. She held onto the long hair on her nighttime visitor, feeling safer than she ever hand in her life and allowed him take her as far away as possible from her room._

_At first, everything seemed to be so fuzzy and pixelly, like a computer screen when you look too close. Still, no point in denying it, it was lovely. The many colors zoomed and whirled in shapes that range from spirals to jelly beans, circles to arcs. The glimmering shapes looked like little presents, covered with that shiny paper._

_It was almost like a dream…_

_*End of Flashback*_

The memory faded just as it stirred another memory inside her. She leaned closer to Inu's ear to tell the other.

"Inu, listen. I just remembered something from a long time ago that I think has something to do with you. When I was little, I was sick a lot. I spent my first six years inside because I was so weak… my parents didn't ever think that I would be allowed to leave. I wished every day that someone would take me away and so I could see the world."

She concentrated on the memories. It had been in the days that she wished for more, to be able to leave her house and breath the fresh air without having to worry about getting sick again.

"It was a dark night with a full moon and I was in bed when it happened," she went on. "I remember feeling cold and waking up to see that there was a young boy in my room. I didn't know who he was but I wasn't afraid. I can't explain it… but I felt so safe with him… like nothing could hurt me with him there. He then… I didn't know what made me do it… I just wanted to get out at least once and I just knew that he would keep me safe. So I took his hand and he carried me piggyback away from my house. It was the most magical night of my life."

She felt Inu's body go a little stiff at that and she nuzzled into the dog's skin to relax the other. She shut her eyes and focused back on the story she was telling as Shippo glanced at her in confusion.

"It was like a dream… and he almost flew through the air just like this…" Kagome frowned, trying to remember the person she'd felt so safe with, until her eyes widened in realization.

"I remembered when we stopped to rest and I was looking out at the city lights sparkling like a Christmas tree. I looked up at the boy and took his hand. It finally came back to me… I remember that he _did_ speak… but he was so quiet that I wasn't sure he said anything at all. He told me his name…" Kagome looked back at the dog that had turned his head slightly to face her. Inu's eyes were clouded, as if he was trying his best to remember something that was just out of his reach but knew it was there.

"His name…" Kagome smiled as she hugged the dog tighter and letting the warmth surrounded her once more. "Was Inuyasha. That was you wasn't it? And your real name is Inuyasha!" As soon as she spoke that name Inu's eyes widen as his body went ridged once more. Slowly the form melted away again, and slowly falling.

Shippo screamed as he burrowed his face into her shirt, Buyo gripping onto her back—sinking his claws into her shoulders… that that she noticed. She and Inu were trying to reach for each other as they fell to the ground. Somehow Kagome wasn't worried, she was just happy she'd finally remembered why Inu was so familiar to her.

'_No,_' Kagome corrected herself as their hands finally reached each other, _'Inuyasha… not Inu.'_

Inuyasha drew Kagome close to him as they fell and he stared at her lovingly, "Kagome… I remember now. That's right… my name is Inuyasha! I had traveled to your world one night and I could feel the sadness coming from the bedroom of a little girl… I was curious and entered your room just as you woke up. I was about to leave, but something prevented me from doing so."

The wind was rushing passed them both as they fell, but they weren't paying any attention to anything but each other. Kagome held Shippo closer to her as Inu pulled her closer to him.

"I don't know what made me do it… I just knew that I wanted to take you flying… I took you out and to see the night. While we were together, I could feel that you were really sick… when I told you my name that night, I also cast a spell to make you well again. I remember when you were starting to fall asleep," he laughed and she blushed at the memories, now suddenly clear to her and coming back as if they happened yesterday. "I took her home and when I got there, the house was in flames." He tightened his grip as her as she nuzzled into his chest, "That was the last time that I saw that girl. That's why I remembered you."

They both looked up at each other again and Inuyasha closed the gap between them as he kissed Kagome once more, deeper this time. Kagome responded eagerly, opening her mouth as Inuyasha asked for permission to enter. The kiss went on until they heard Shippo scream that the ground was coming up. Unwillingly, they broke apart and pulled them all onto his back and leapt up into the air as if he was launched out of a cannon. He wasn't flying anymore, but leaping through the air as if there wasn't any gravity… and they once again started towards Naraku's castle. Kagome being carried piggyback and holding onto Shippo and Buyo—who were both clinging to each other and breathing hard.

"Next time that you both want to make out," Shippo gasped out. "Do it on the ground!"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha told him as they spotted Hakudoshi in the distance. He smiled at Kagome, his hair shining from the light of the moon. "Come on, Kagome. Let's go rescue your family already."

Kagome grinned and raised her head high to let the cold wind blow her hair around. "Yes," she said. "Let's show up that Naraku once and for all."

_**(Sorry for the long wait. I've been working on all the other stories I have. But good news is that this story is almost over. Just one more chapter and an epilogue left to do. I do hope you enjoyed it.)**_


	17. Whispers in the Wind

_**Chapter 17: Whispers in the Wind**_

Kagome felt safe for the first time since she came to the Spirit World—so long as she was safely in Inuyasha's arms. As for Shippo and Buyo? Not so much. They were clinging to her like spider monkeys as Inuyasha leapt up and through the air so gracefully and lightly, they were almost flying through the fading night. Is this a dream? If it is, she didn't ever want to wake up. Kagome smiled as she leaned into his warm embrace.

They reached the castle just when they finished talking about what had happened since Inuyasha had taken her for her night flight. Apparently, after his visit in the human world, when he returned home… somehow his name had faded from his mind. Inuyasha suspected that Naraku had something to do with it. And without his name, Inuyasha had no choice but to start working for him. They both carefully avoided the subject of what was going to happened when they did got back to the castle. Inuyasha had already told her about the test Naraku was preparing for her, and a part of Kagome wished she'd fail. At least like that she could stay with Inuyasha.

At long last, after the sun had already risen, they could see it in the distance. Naraku's castle that was glowing from the morning light.

"Ready?" Inuyasha asked her with one final leap that was sure to take them to the castle's doorstep.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Kagome answered. Buyo and Shippo just hid their heads in Kagome's shirt and refused to say anything. But once they touched down, they both jumped down and hugged the ground, as if hoping to never leave it again.

As they landed on the other side of the bridge, Kagome could see Naraku standing in front of his castle, most of the staff looking out of windows or standing on the balconies to see what would happen. Inuyasha loosened his grip, but didn't let go of Kagome as he glared rebelliously at Naraku; just daring him to do anything to harm the girl that he carried in his arms. They were so focused on him, Kagome didn't notice that Shippo had slipped into the bag that Madoriko gave her.

Naraku narrowed his eyes as he didn't see the baby, "I see you failed to bring back the infant." He glared fiercely at the couple—thankfully Hakudoshi chose that moment to make his appearance, floating above him, protected by a barrier.

Inuyasha smirked as he pointed to above Naraku, who then looked up to see Hakudoshi.

"I never knew you missed me," Hakudoshi smirked at Naraku's astonished face. "It's too bad that I like this new body."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at Naraku who seemed too stunned to speak, "Don't forget your promise, Naraku! You said you'd return them all to the human world."

Naraku snorted as he looked back, "It doesn't really look like you want her to go, the way you're holding her, lover boy." The two glared at each other as gasps were heard from the workers and Kagome blushed slightly, "Anyway, I get to give the wench one last test remember?"

Protests were heard from all the workers, but they were choosing Kagome's side instead of Naraku's, which shocked her until Naraku roared at them all to shut up. "It's always the same old business with you," Hakudoshi said with a sneer. "So desperate to try and be in control of things and it worries you when you aren't."

"I'll deal with you in a moment!" Naraku called up to Hakudoshi. "Why you care about these two…"

"Oh, I have no interest in these two," Hakudoshi said honestly. "But I do love seeing you squirm."

Kagome decided to stop the argument between the two of them before something happened. She let Inuyasha put her down and said, "It's ok," to him before she called out to Naraku. Her former boss turned to look at her, annoyed by the insolent tone. Kagome stepped out of Inuyasha's embrace and walked over the bridge towards Naraku. There was no fear in her eyes; she knew she could do this. She wasn't going to let this red-eyed loser bully her anymore.

Kagome stopped right in front of them, her look still unwavering and determined, "Okay, I'm ready to take and pass your test."

Naraku snorted, "Confident aren't we? That'll all change soon, wench. Come this way." He led the way to the entrance to see ten squealing pigs in a small pen. Kagome looked them over hesitantly, before looking back at Naraku questioningly. "See if you can tell which ones are your parents and brother," he answered her look.

Kagome looked back at the pigs, who all seemed to be trying to get her attention, "You get one try," Naraku informed her. "If you get it right you're all free to go. If not, you're mine." Kagome gulped before looking at the pigs firmly again. She knew that she could find them… she just had to remember…

She gave each pig a long and careful look-over, trying to find any signs of Sota or her parents, but found none. She frowned as she looked closely again, but still found nothing, "There has to be something wrong, none of them are my parents or brother." She stared in confusion.

Naraku raised an eyebrow, "None of them? That's your answer?" Kagome looked one last time before nodding. Her family really wasn't there.

Puffs of smoke appeared around all the pigs and they all changed back into servants of the castle. Most likely transformed for this test to try and trick her. Everyone around them, besides for Naraku, cheered and shouts of happiness were heard—there were loud applaud going on—cheering for her as if she had single-handedly brought world peace. Kagome smiled brightly, knowing that she was finally going to see everyone again—to see the human world… Even though her heart ached at the thought of she might never return here.

Naraku scowled at being beaten one last time. He'd been sure Kagome would choose someone even if her family wasn't there, "Alright, alright, already. Get out of my sight before I change my mind!" He looked up at Hakudoshi, who still refused to come down. "I've got bigger things to worry about than a pathetic human girl like you."

Kagome smiled, not the slightest bit fazed by Naraku's tone, and quickly ran back to Inuyasha who was still waiting for her. She quickly grabbed his hand as she reached him, both making their way quickly into the town and towards the river, "Inuyasha, where's my family?"

Inuyasha kept running as he answered, "When you passed the test they all woke up at the other side of the river. They're waiting for you there." Far too soon, they reached the river—or rather the line of boulders covered in moss. No water was flowing through it now, so Kagome could cross… Buyo… who was still on Kagome's back meowed loudly and jumped down. He streaked across the rocks and across the green fields—obviously ready to go home even more than she was.

Kagome smiled as Buyo disappeared out of her sight. But as she was about to follow him, she felt Inuyasha halt, a regretful look in his golden eyes, "I'm sorry, Kagome. But I have to stay for now."

"What?" she gasped as she took both his hands in her own and stared into his eyes. But she knew that no matter how much she pleaded… she knew that he wouldn't be able to follow her. Kagome looked down at the ground, trying to force back the tears trying to come out, "I figured as much." Before she could say anything else she felt Inuyasha's lips against hers in a gentle kiss again. She pressed back desperately, not wanting to lose him again.

They stayed like that for a long time… neither one wanting to break the kiss and leave each other. But at long last they both pulled apart. As they broke their peaceful oblivion, Inuyasha looked deep into her eyes, before leaning his forehead against hers. "I'm going to talk to Naraku and tell him I'm quitting. Now that I've finally remembered my name, I'll be leaving." Kagome closed her eyes, as she listened to Inuyasha's rough voice, "We'll meet up again, Kagome. But you have to go right now. I'll be sure to come back and get you one day."

Kagome's face lit up in happiness as she hugged Inuyasha tightly, a smile that shone with love, "Inuyasha…" she whispered, her arms around his neck as she breathed in his scent—wanting to remember how he smelled musky, and like spices. "I'll wait forever if I have to."

Inuyasha smiled as he returned the hug just as tightly; they stood there for another long moment before he finally pushed away, "Go now, and don't look back until you've passed through the tunnel. We'll see each other soon," Kagome nodded, giving her true love one last brief kiss before running to the other side of the river and looking for her family.

Her heart ached painfully with each step she took… she wiped the tears from her eyes as she reached the other side of the rocks, and crossed the beautiful green fields. She was having feelings of déjà vu when she heard her name being called by a familiar voice. Hardly daring to breath, she looked up to see her parents, and Sota waiting for her in front of the red building… with worried looks on their faces. Kagome smiled as she quickly ran over and hugged her mother, "MOM!"

Her mother looked taken aback at this and wrapped her arms around her daughter in a confused way. "Kagome what is it? You're acting like you haven't seen us for years!"

Kagome blinked in surprise as she looked up at them. What were they talking about? It had been months since they were turned into pigs! What were they…?

She suddenly understood. They weren't playing dumb… _didn't_ remember anything that happened. They didn't remember being turned into animals and trapped in the pen. They probably don't even remember ever exploring the town together and stealing the food. She shook her head. It was probably for the best.

"Where've you been, Kagome? Don't run off like that or you might get hurt," The irony of the scold nearly made Kagome laugh. After all, it had been all of _them_ that had wandered off and had been turned into pigs, not her. She kept her thoughts to herself though, following the others as they walked towards the tunnel. Sota had found Buyo and was carrying him as he lead the way—Kagome briefly heard her mother saying, "I think we spent enough time here. Let's go… I don't want to miss the movers!"

Kagome shook her head in exasperation once again; sure that they long since missed the movers. She waited just as she was about to enter the tunnel behind them, thinking back to Inuyasha and she was tempted to look back. She'd already started turning her head when she remembered his last words, and quickly kept her head focused in front of her. No, she wouldn't look back yet. There would be nothing to see anyway…

"Come on Kagome! Let's go!" her dad called after her and she ran after them with a heavy heart.

The walk back wasn't nearly as bad as the last time they were here. The difference is, they didn't pass through the train station this time… for a moment, Kagome was worried that something was wrong. But when she saw the light at the end of the tunnel, she sighed in relief. It wasn't until they'd passed through the tunnel that Kagome turned around and stared into the darkness. Behind her she heard her family gasp as they saw the car. Dust had covered it and plant life had already started to entangle it. Of course no one but Kagome had any idea how this happened; to them they'd only been away for maybe an hour at most. Kagome smiled wryly as they all ranted.

At that moment, she felt something in her bag move. She jumped in shock—thankfully her family was so busy trying to figure out what going on—they didn't notice her. Kagome opened it to see the tiny grinning face of Shippo staring back at her.

"Shippo," she hissed with a panicked look at her family. They still weren't paying any attention to her… "What are you doing here?"

"What's it look like?" he asked grinning. "I came back to be with you. I didn't want to you to leave."

"Shippo," she groaned with a glance at the tunnel. "You have to go back!"

"Too late!" he smiled as he pulled something out from under his shirt. "Now that I came back with you, I can't go back until Inuyasha comes to get us. Sorry, but I want to stay with you."

Kagome whimpered as she thought hard of what to do. "OK," she told him. "But you have to stay quiet. My brother and parents can't know about you ok? They don't remember anything about what happened, and I think that it's for the best if they don't."

Shippo held out the hair ribbon that he and the others made for her, and some of Kagome's anger disappeared at his sweetness. "You're lucky you're cute," she told him as she took the ribbon from him and gently closed the top. Now she had something else to worry about—what everyone would do if they found a demon in her bag.

She stared at the ribbon with a smile, before tying her hair back up and looking back at the depths of the tunnel. After a few seconds of ranting, her family finally got into the car and started the engine, looking up at her staring into the tunnel they'd just come through, her bag in her arms which held Shippo, dad called out, "Kagome, come on, we're leaving."

Kagome nodded silently, sighing as she turned around and slowly walked back to the car. As dad started driving out of the forest, obviously deciding that going back the way they'd come to find the right turn was probably better than driving around the forest aimlessly, Kagome remembered the way she'd have to go to find this place again. She promised herself to come back to find Inuyasha, no matter what happened or how long it took.

"A new home and school, I guess it's a bit frightening," dad was talking more to himself than to her and Sota. Sota nodded, "So why don't we go home?"

He looked to Kagome for back up, but was astonished to see the smile still on her face. After everything she'd gone through in the Spirit World, this all didn't seem important anymore.

"It's not so bad," she muttered as she held the bag close to her heart and felt Shippo curling up—obviously going to sleep. Sota's jaw dropped and her parents were asking what had changed her mind. Kagome shook her head and said that she just needed a little more time to get used to the idea.

Somehow knowing that they were in for a big surprise when they finally arrived at their new house, Kagome closed her eyes to get some sleep that she hadn't been able to have for the last day. But before she went into dreamland, she thought to herself, _'You and I live in different worlds, Inuyasha. I never thought that I would see you again… but I was proven wrong. I know that we will see you again. One day, love with triumph… and bring you back to me.'_

_**(Only one more chapter to go! All that's left is the epilogue—thank you all for bearing with this story for so long. I'll be putting up the last chapter as soon as I can. Until then…)**_


	18. Epilogue To a World yet Unseen

_**Epilogue- To a World yet Unseen**_

Kagome stared off into nothingness as her feet guided her along the, by now, familiar road through the forest that she visit at least once a day. The heavy bag hanging at her waist was swinging gently as she walked along. Kagome had been back in the human world for almost 2 years now, and she visited the entrance to the spirit world every day since then.

Her family thought she just liked to take long walks to clear her mind from all the schoolwork. Kagome just let them believe that, even though she had already graduated. Not that it was all that far anyway to the tunnel, it was only about a fifteen minute walk.

Kagome's thoughts drifted off back to Inuyasha as well as the worries she had for him. It had been two years, and still she hadn't seen or heard from him since they had to say goodbye. Kagome noticed she was already standing in front of the forest trail her father had thought to be a shortcut. Kagome smiled a little, glad that the trip had become so natural to her by now that she didn't even have to pay attention anymore.

She quickly took the trail and followed it, only half paying attention to all the greenery around her. Her thoughts once more drifted off towards their previous worries and Kagome sighed.

_*Flashback*_

_After they drove off from the tunnel, it didn't take dad long to find the way to their new house. If they were astonished by the collected dust and plant life that surrounded the car when they got back to the car, it was nothing compared to seeing all the boxes piled there where the movers left them. There was dust everywhere, and Kagome almost laughed when she saw her dad bring back the newspaper to discover that they'd somehow missed 4 months._

"_But how is that possible?" her mother shouted as Sota stared open-mouthed at the paper._

"_Imagine that?" Kagome said lightly as she held her bag—that held Shippo—and she heard him snort with quiet laughter inside. "You think that we'd been spirited away by some demon and don't remember?"_

"_Don't be ridiculous, Kagome," Mom said quickly as she and dad tried to figure out what was going on._

_Kagome could only smile mysteriously as she went upstairs to find her new room. She found it at the top of the stairs where most of the boxes with her things was already stored in. She opened the bag and Shippo jumped out. "Wow!" he cried as he ran around the room and peeked into some of the boxes. _

"_There's so much room!" Kagome sighed happily as she fell backwards onto her mattress, which was on the floor—not even caring of the dust that floated up. _

_*End of Flashback*_

"Mom?" a small voice asked suddenly.

Shippo had also started calling her 'mom' a couple weeks after she brought him home. Kagome wasn't sure if she liked it at first, but after awhile, she learned to love it and got a strange tingling feeling every time she heard it. Kagome sighed fondly as she opened her bag and the tiny redhead poked out and grinned toothily at her. He climbed up to her shoulder.

It hasn't been easy to hide her 'son' from the rest of her family, but it was so lucky that he was as cute as a doll which caused everyone to think that he really _was_ a doll. It took some time for her to convince Shippo to pretend to be limp every time they were with others. So to make up for it, she would sneak all sorts of snacks into her room where he would enjoy, and she took him for long hikes in this forest where he could get out and show off his fox magic.

She finally reached the small clearing, the statue still there and seemingly daring anyone to pass through the gateway to the spirit world. Kagome stared at it for a moment, not wanting to look at the entrance to, once again, see nothing there. She'd seen it too often and each time it made her worry more… filled her with only more sadness and disappointment.

"Is he back yet?" he asked, though judging from his voice, he wasn't too hopeful. It had been two years after all.

Kagome shook her head sadly as she looked back to the tunnel.

Why hadn't Inuyasha come back yet? Surely it shouldn't take him this long to deal with Naraku and come back for her? Maybe something had really happened and he needed help? Maybe he was even…

Kagome shook her head. Ideas like those had been plaguing her for years now but she refused to believe them. Inuyasha had promised to return to her, and so she had to believe that he would.

They went home after about an hour so that Shippo had plenty time to run and play. He was now curled up in his bag that she carried with him everywhere… she loved being back in a world that made sense to her… but a part of her wanted to return to that world of magic. At least she wouldn't have to keep Shippo hidden.

_*That Night*_

Kagome had trouble sleeping that night when Shippo curled up next to her pillow like he usually did and Buyo sleeping at her feet. Trying to force herself to fall back into her usual peaceful dreams of golden eyes… when suddenly she felt something warm touching her lips. Her eyes snapped open and for a moment she thought that she was dreaming… for those same golden eyes were looking back at her.

"Miss me?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk.

Kagome sat bolt-upright and stared at him. Inuyasha—in the flesh—was sitting there on the edge of her bed—the window next to them was wide open, shining moonlight on him, making his hair look like it was shining.

"INUYASHA!" she gasped louder than she should've but didn't care as she flung her arms around his neck and planted a kiss onto his mouth. He responded only too happily as he returned the kiss just as eagerly. Buyo let out a meow of shock as he was knocked off the bed and ran for cover—as for Shippo—he was such a deep sleeper that he didn't notice the newcomer.

After several minutes, Kagome pulled away and placed her hands up to his face—tracing every inch of skin that she could, refusing to look away from his eyes.

"What happened to you?" she demanded it. "What took you so long?"

Inuyasha pulled back with a tired, but content look on his face. Kagome settled down in his lap, knowing that Inuyasha probably wouldn't let her go right now, "Inuyasha?"

He sighed, before looking down seriously, "I guess you've noticed it took a while for me to get here?" At Kagome's nod, he continued, "Naraku wouldn't let me go. It wasn't easy but I've dealt with him."

"What did he do to you?" Kagome demanded.

"He didn't want to lose his control of the castle," he sighed. "But that doesn't matter anymore. He won't bother us again."

Kagome stared for a minute wanting to know what happened, but didn't Inuyasha just seemed content to just sit there, Kagome in her arms and Naraku was far away from them—without having to worry about him anymore. And that was enough for her. After a moment, she snuggled into Inuyasha embrace as he glanced down.

"Kagome?" he asked.

She just smiled, "I'm just glad you're here." Inuyasha chuckled and held Kagome close to him. They stayed like that for a while longer until Shippo opened his eyes and looked up in surprise.

"Inuyasha!" he called happily as he jumped up and onto his shoulder.

"Oh," Inuyasha said rolling his eyes. "I wondered where you went kid. So this was where you've been hiding out."

"You bully!" Shippo yelled back with a pout.

"Quiet," Kagome hissed to them both. "We don't want to wake up anyone else."

Reluctantly she pulled away, gaining a disapproving groan from Inuyasha. "What are we going to do?" she asked him. "I don't know how my family will take to me loving a half-demon… it's hard enough to hide Shippo."

"Which I hate having to hide all the time, mom!" he called out.

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows and looked at her. "Mom?" he repeated.

Kagome shrugged. "Someone has to do it."

"Oh, she's been great," Shippo called out happily. "But I am tired of hiding in the bag."

"You and me both," Kagome agreed. "If I had it my way, we move out and find a house with a big yard just for you."

"Funny you say that," Inuyasha grinned at her.

Kagome looked up at him cautiously, "What are you…?"

"Kagome…" he said softly, "You're of age now aren't you? And you finished school?"

"Yes," Kagome said just as softly, wondering where this was leading.

He smirked as he leaned back in. "You want to come back with me?"

She was silent for a moment. "W-what?" she stuttered, sure that she heard wrong.

"The Spirit World," he repeated as if he thought she was dim. "Do you want to come back with me? I found a house where we could stay and it's in the same village Sango and Miroku live… oh, they're married now and just had twins."

"Twins?" she gasped.

"You can come back through the tunnel anytime you want," he told her quickly, his smile fading slightly, as if worried that she didn't want to be with him anymore. "So… you want to come back?"

Shippo stared up at them both, staring from Kagome to Inuyasha and back—wondering what they were going to do. Kagome thought that over… she wasn't so sure she wanted to leave her world again… but… a world where she and Inuyasha could live together… to be able to stay with him… a place where Shippo wouldn't have to hide anymore… with friends close by and still being able to see her family… what else could she say but…

"Yes," she smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

She quickly melted into the kiss. Minutes later Inuyasha drew away and brushed her bangs aside, a smile on his face.

"I missed you," Kagome just smiled back, as Shippo jumped around on the bed… happy never to have to use that bag again.

Kagome felt the urge to dance around too. For just like that night so long ago when Inuyasha took her for that unforgettable ride, it would be a dream come true. She will be with him always… until this dream ends and eternity resumes its silent slumber…

**(And as promised, here's the epilogue. I hope you all enjoyed this story and that you'll like the epilogue. This story is finally over and I want to thank everyone who supported me. Thank you all and I hope you weren't disappointed.)**


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